It’s been a while since I’ve posted here and it's probably a huge understatement to say a lot has happened on the health and social care policy front! This government is certainly keen to expedite the rate at which they legislate!
Recently a number of policy documents particularly relevant to men’s health have been published: the cancer strategy, mental health strategy and of course the Public Health White Paper - consultation on which concludes at the end of March. Additionally, the Health and Social Care Bill is making its way through the parliamentary stages.
When we pause to breathe, it’s important to reflect on the role of the voluntary sector in the new health and social care structures. A couple of things are clear - national voluntary sector organisations will have to become much more proficient at engaging on a local level, and local voluntary sector organisations will have to become even more proficient at having their voices heard, to influence local Joint Strategic Needs Assessments (JSNA).
Influencing the JSNA will be key, if seldom heard and marginalised groups are to be considered in local commissioning and service delivery. A huge emphasis will be placed on using the JSNA to provide a blueprint to guide local commissioning. If the local VCS can’t campaign to have its needs included here, they are likely to be marginalised further. It is a concern that there is no current requirement to have a voluntary sector representative on Local Authority Health and Wellbeing Boards (those who will oversee the development of JSNAs). This lack of representation feels like a backward step in many ways. Those of us who work in the voluntary sector will have to work hard to explore other avenues to ensure we make our mark on local JSNAs.
