KVA actively works to promote and empower user, carer and voluntary organisation involvement in the planning and delivery of local health and social care services - and to promote awareness amongst KVA members and the local community of all relevant national and local policy initiatives in the area of health and social care services.

We work collaboratively with Statutory and Voluntary organisations, from strategic policy planning to operational work programmes; disseminating information between the Statutory & Voluntary Sectors and to identify the need for and facilitate the development of new initiatives in the respect of health and social care services.

Ongoing partnership work includes:

• Kingston's Local Involvement Network
• Patient and Public Involvement in Health
• Compact for Health
• Health Overview Scrutiny
• Choosing Health Partnership Board
• Service Access and Information
• KVA Partnership Small Grants
• Kingston Community Development Network
• Workforce Development

Latest News on Health & Social Care.

For further information on any Health or Social Care matters, please contact Maria Tunmer, Health and Social Care Manager.

Kingston's Local Involvement Network

In October 2009, KVA was contracted by the Council to act as the host agency to support a Local Involvement Network. Kingston's LINk enables local people to have a voice in matters relating to health and social care in the borough. Full details can be found on Kingston's LINk website.

Patient and Public Involvement in Health

Involving local people, service users, carers and Voluntary Sector representatives in service planning through the work of the Kingston Partnership Boards for Health & Wellbeing. Supporting Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) in Health across all levels in Kingston, through the Kingston Primary Care Trust (KPCT) Strategy for PPI; and the independent PPI Forums for KPCT and Kingston Hospital.

Compact For Health
This is a framework for partnership between KPCT and Kingston Voluntary Action on behalf of the Voluntary Sector in Kingston.

The Compact is a professional commitment to collaborative working with a shared vision to improve the health of Kingston residents by tackling health inequalities through the delivery of a quality health and social care system, which is seamless, effective and efficient and designed to the highest standard within the resources available.

Health Overview Scrutiny
Working with RBK councillors and local partner agencies to assist in ongoing scrutiny of local services that impact on health.

Choosing Health Partnership Board
Through the membership of the Choosing Health Partnership Board, KVA is jointly working on the Choosing Health delivery plan. This plan identifies actions relevent to the six key priorities set out in the Choosing Health White Paper.

•    Health inequalities
•    Reducing the numbers of people who smoke
•    Tackling obesity
•    Improving sexual health
•    Impoving mental health and well being
•    Reducing harm and encouraging sensible drinking

The underpinning principles behind this plan is to ensure there is informed choice for all, personalisation of support to make healthy choices, and finally, that in working in partnership is essential to make health everyone's business.

Kingston Primary Care Trust, the Royal Borough of Kingston and the voluntary sector have worked together in this document, involving a range of partners to ensure that realistic local targets and actions have been set out. Actions not only focus on the key lifestyle issues, but also ensuring there is an adequate local workforce to deliver.

Service Access and Information
Supporting the KPCT and RBK Service Access agenda, to be proactive in engaging with diverse or hard to reach communities; gathering information to understand the nature of the population and to plan services that are responsive to the community’s needs.

Kingston Community Development Network
This is an open network of multi-disciplinary community workers who provide a supportive or developmental role to communities, working towards the principles of community development and promoting health and well being. Aiming to pool ideas and share experiences, encouraging joint working on projects, having a mutual understanding of the nature of development work; with support and capacity building mechanisms in place.

The Health & Social Care Manager coordinates this network of multi-agency workers, organising quarterly meetings, events and seminars and reporting to the Kingston Partnership Board for Inequalities and Improving Health.

"Community development is about building active and sustainable communities based on social justice and mutual respect. It is about changing power structures to remove the barriers that prevent people from participating in the issues that affect  their lives. Community workers support individuals, groups and organisations in this process. "

For further information on the network visit Kingston Community Development Network website.

We would be interested in hearing your thoughts on how this network can develop. You can complete this brief survey (opens in Word) or you can email your comments to communications@kva.org

Workforce Development

Working with our NHS and RBK Partners, Skills for Care and the Children's Workforce Development Confederation, we can provide opportunities for personal and professional development to voluntary sector staff and volunteers. We can give information about any specific training requirments and opportunities.

This is vital for voluntary organisations that provide essential health and social care services, enabling staff to achieve recognised qualifications, retaining staff in the voluntary sector and promoting the development of quality services.