Neurological Commissioning Support has selected a range of health charities to receive mentoring support for public service commissioning, in a Department of Health funded scheme.

The selected charities are Asthma UK and the British Lung Foundation (in a joint bid); the British Heart Foundation; and a coalition of mental health charities – National Survivor User Network, the Afiya Trust, and Social Perspectives Network.

The initiative, now in its second year, is funded by the Department of Health’s Innovation, Excellence and Strategic Development Fund, which will provide up to £56,500 (the exact sum is to be decided at the end of this month).

The charities will receive 12 months’ mentoring with ad hoc support available for an additional 12 months thereafter.

Any charity which supports people with a long-term health problems was eligible to apply, and the organisations which were chosen were selected based on their responses to a thorough application form. 

Selected charities 'demonstrated commitment'

A spokeswoman for NCS told civilsociety.co.uk that the chosen applicants all "demonstrated clear thought and planning around their aims in working with commissioners; had core reasoning around improving quality of services for patients through collaborative working across professionals and the public; and demonstrated commitment through staff resource to be able to deliver provision of local expertise and support in their condition area to commissioning bodies".

Alongside the pro-bono mentoring and advice bespoke training and resources, shadowing opportunities, and brokerage of relationships with commissioners will be available to the charities.

The spokeswoman added that NCS are hoping that the programme will lead to the charities becoming "trusted partners".

"By this we mean that these organisations can enter into partnerships with commissioners on equal footing, valued for their expertise, support, and trusted as experts in their own right in both the condition itself and in the service planning which will enable individuals with that condition to receive the care and support they need in the most effective and efficient way possible," she said.

Charities 'have enormous potential'

Neurological Commissioning Support (NCS) is a not-for-profit organisation itself, founded by and run by Parkinson’s UK, MS Society and the Motor Neurone Disease Association.

In March 2012 the DoH awarded £56,500 to NCS from its £3.3m 2011/12 Innovation, Excellence and Service Development Fund for the first year of its mentoring programme. Macmillan Cancer Support, Arthritis Care, Epilepsy Action and groups working in the fields of spinal injuries were selected that time. 

“Charities have enormous potential to bring people together, making everyone equal contributors,” said Sue Thomas, chief executive of NCS. “Their expert understanding of both the condition and the people living it is an essential ingredient in commissioning.

“And the move to localised planning is creating a real opportunity for charities to hold more sway.”

 

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