Sussex VCSE Mental Health Strategic Leadership Group: Review and Future Goals

Posted on 27 September 2024

The VCSE (Voluntary, Community, and Social Enterprise) Mental Health Strategic Leadership shares its priorities, achievements in 2023-24, and future goals to promote and expand the role of the VCSE to shape and deliver community mental health services across Sussex.

About the Sussex VCSE Mental Health Strategic Leadership Group

Across Sussex, there are place-based elected/appointed VCSE mental health representatives for adults, children, and young people. Additionally, from 2022, there are Integrated Care Board (ICB) funded VCSE Mental Health Transformation Lead roles to support the sector in designing and delivering new community-based support models. VCSE organisations involved are Southdown, BHT Sussex, West Sussex Mind, Grassroots Suicide Prevention, YMCA Downslink, Amaze Sussex, Stonepillow, Mental Health VCSE Transformation Team, and Brighton’s Women’s Centre. The VCSE sector is funded to coordinate three place-based VCSE Mental Health Network available to all VCSE providers across Sussex.

To streamline representation and influence of the VCSE sector, the representatives and Transformation Leads have established a pan-Sussex VCSE Mental Health Strategic Leadership Group. This Group is proactive and inclusive, acting as a central contact point and collective sector voice. It leads discussions, clarifies VCSE issues, makes requests, and holds the system accountable for engaging and realising the potential of the VCSE.

Priority goals in 2023/24 and review

In consultation with VCSE Mental Health Network members, the Group established five priority goals for 2023/24:

1. Strengthen VCSE Influence and Participation: Enhance the role of the VCSE in mental health programmes and workstreams within NHS Sussex.
2. Improved Commissioning, Procurement, and Contracting: Ensure these processes meet the needs of VCSE organizations and support capacity building.
3. Lobby for Sustainable Funding: Advocate for enduring financial support for VCSE services.
4. Develop a Sussex VCSE Leaders Alliance (SVLA) Memorandum of Understanding and Commissioning Framework.
5. Collaborate with Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (SPFT): Develop a work programme to bolster partnerships and sub-contracting with VCSE MH providers.

Chaired by Neil Blanchard, Chief Executive of Southdown, the Group meets quarterly to monitor progress towards these goals and report back via the VCSE Mental Health Networks. At the end of 2023/24, the Group reviewed sector progress and set new goals for 2024/25.

Achievements in 2023/24

• Market Position Statements: Issued two statements highlighting key challenges and requests from NHS system leaders and commissioners.
• SVLA Memorandum and Commissioning Framework: Supported the development of these frameworks.
• Sussex Compact Agreement: Successfully agreed and signed a working together agreement between the VCSE and SPFT, committing to new ways of working and expanding the strategic role of the VCSE.
• Enhanced VCSE Profile and Reputation: Through strategic representation, the VCSE sector’s role as a strategic partner has been positively promoted. However, exclusion at the planning stages of strategy development and decision-making remains an issue.

Looking ahead: priorities for 2024/25

As VCSE mental health providers in Sussex look ahead to 2024/25, several critical issues will need to be addressed to ensure the effective delivery of mental health services and to strengthen the sector’s strategic role. The following are the key goals and priorities identified for 2024/25:

1. Sustainable Funding:
   Uncertainty and Financial Stability: All VCSE providers are facing uncertainty regarding sustainable funding, with no fee increase announced for 24/25 and in-year savings efficiencies of 15%. This financial instability poses significant risks to the continuity and quality of services. There is a pressing need to lobby for stable, long-term funding solutions to support the sustainability of VCSE mental health services.
2. Inclusion in Strategic Planning:
   Early Involvement and Representation: VCSE providers often find themselves excluded from the initial stages of strategy development and decision-making processes within NHS Sussex and other governing bodies. There is a need for better inclusion of VCSE providers and people with lived experience in strategic planning to ensure their insights and expertise inform key mental health initiatives from the outset.
3. Commissioning, Procurement, and Contracting Processes:
   Capacity Building, Simplification and Accessibility: Current processes need to improve to meet the specific needs of VCSE organisations, supporting their capacity to deliver high-quality mental health services. The commissioning and procurement processes should be simplified and made more accessible to smaller VCSE organisations to ensure fair competition and participation, aligned to new Provider Collaborative models.
4. Partnership and Collaboration with NHS Trusts:
   Strengthening Relationships and Joint Ambitions: Building stronger partnerships with NHS trusts, particularly the Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (SPFT), is essential to enhance collaborative efforts in delivering mental health services.
   Establishing and committing to joint ambitions and collaborative frameworks, such as the Sussex Compact, can facilitate new ways of working and expand the strategic role of VCSE providers.
5. Capacity and Workforce Development:
   Training and Support: There is a need for ongoing training and support to build the capacity and skills of the VCSE workforce, including peers and volunteers, to meet the increasing demands for mental health services.
6. Service Integration and Innovation:
   Neighbourhood Mental Health Teams: Implementing integrated neighbourhood mental health teams requires active VCSE involvement to ensure community-based models of support are effective and responsive to local needs.
   Innovation in Service Delivery: Encouraging and supporting innovation within the VCSE sector can lead to the development of more effective, community-driven mental health solutions.
   

By addressing these key priorities, VCSE mental health providers in Sussex can strengthen their impact, ensure sustainability, and enhance their role as vital partners in the mental health system. We will continue to meet as a Group, tracking progress and bringing the system to account to deliver against these priority goals.