Forum Central is pleased to share this important document which brings us closer to Leeds’ strategic goals.
This Leeds ICB Annual Position Statement is a product of the sector’s long term commitment to working in partnership with the Health and Care System. It sets out the current context, opportunities, and future priorities in relation to the Third Sector as a Member of the Leeds Health and Care Partnership.
The report is available on the Leeds Health and Care Partnership website:
The statement is grounded in priorities seen within the Leeds Third Sector Strategy and honed through a collaborative workshop involving the ICB and third sector colleagues in July 2024. It builds on our City’s ethos of partnership working, and recognises each sector’s vital role in the health and wellbeing of our people and communities.
Forum Central Foreword
As the collective voice for Leeds third sector in health and care, Forum Central warmly
welcomes this annual position statement from the NHS West Yorkshire ICB in Leeds. This
statement is the result of our long term working relationship using our Third Sector Leeds
Strategy developed by Third Sector Leeds and honed in a collaborative workshop between
the ICB and third sector colleagues in July 2024. It forms the basis for a strong partnership in
the City, recognising all sectors on an equal footing.
The last few years have been extremely difficult for all of us working in health and care. All
sectors, including the Third Sector, are often feeling overwhelmed with demand, and facing
an incredibly challenging financial position. We all know that there are some aspects of this
which are going to be unavoidable, given funding constraints in the statutory sector. This
has been compounded by the uncertainty that short-term contracts and political change can
bring, alongside somewhat limited clarity on strategic priorities and opportunities. This is
therefore an important document, representing an intention to work differently together as
a system; setting out both the ICBs intentions for working with the third sector, and also
helping our NHS partners to better understand how we work.
The launch of the statement comes as the new Government and the Darzi report set out the
challenge to identify how we best care for the health of people in our communities. The
third sector will be the cornerstone of the Government’s ask of a neighbourhood health and
care system, which is recognised in the four broad features of the ICB approach in Leeds
detailed below. The ambitions of the new Government – to move care from the hospital to
community; from treatment to prevention and to support people in the move from
analogue to digital – will only be possible if we can harness the third sector with our reach
into communities alongside other partners. West Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership is
the first ‘Keep it Local’ ICS in the country, and part of this position statement explores how
the ICB in Leeds can work with partners to prioritise supporting, partnering with and
commissioning local third sector partners.
West Yorkshire is leading the way as one of 7 out of the 42 Integrated Care Boards (ICBs)
who have partnerships with the Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) sector,
and our West Yorkshire Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with us as the VCSE sector
is a significant commitment to embed the sector and deliver better health and well-being
outcomes.
We are proud of our Leeds Health and Care Partnership Team Leeds approach to and are
committed to ensuring that we continually improve how we work together to improve the
lives of local people, particularly those living with the highest health inequalities.
