Cross-sector partnership working in health and care: learning from the Healthy Communities Together programme
People in the health and care are increasingly coming together across organisational and sector boundaries with the aim of improving people’s health and wellbeing. With growing numbers of people living with multiple long-term conditions and with health and care services stretched to breaking point, this cross-sector partnership work is vital. But it is not easy.
In 2022 The King’s Fund and The National Lottery Community Fund (TNLCF) joined forces to support partnership-working between the voluntary and community sector, the NHS and local charities, in five areas in England. Through the Healthy Communities Together programme, TNLCF provided investment to support the partnerships, while The King’s Fund provided leadership and organisational development consultancy, as well as working closely with the partnerships to identify and share learnings from the programme.
Here you can explore the practical insights and learning on cross-sector partnership working gathered from the Healthy Communities Together programme. They are relevant to anyone engaged in or supporting cross-sector partnership work in health and care, no matter what stage you are in your partnering journey.
Bitesize learning
Delve into our short blogs that share insights on key themes around cross-sector partnership working.
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More than words: the role of shared language in cross-sector partnership success
Partnership working challenges how we think and communicate. Discover the role and importance of language in cross-sector partnership working.
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Partnering is a verb
Discover two techniques that can help in forming healthy cross-sector partnerships.
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Whose uncertainty is it anyway?
Explore how cross-sector partnerships can approach dealing with uncertainty.
Tools to support partnership development
Whether you’re just starting out, or part of a well-established partnership, these in-depth reads with accompanying prompts are designed to enable you to prepare for and reflect on the challenges and opportunities of partnering.
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Keeping the faith in cross-sector partnership working: how to maintain motivation and drive
Partnering isn't easy. Here are six practical things you can do to help maintain momentum, even when things get tough.
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Partnering for change: six key insights for cross-sector partnerships
How can cross-sector partnerships deliver lasting change? Here are six key insights that can help support effective cross-sector collaboration.
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Transforming power relationships in partnership working
Explore the realities of power imbalances in cross-sector partnerships and the key questions you will need to consider as you try to address these.
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A reflective learning framework for partnering
This framework is designed to help your partnership explore the key challenges and opportunities you might face and includes helpful resources to support your partnership's development.
Key things to consider when establishing a partnership
What do you need to consider when setting up a partnership programme? And how can consultants support you in your partnership working? Find out here.
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How to support partnership working: learning from the Healthy Communities Together programme
This report offers practical insights to support people who are seeking to develop partnership working within their local areas.
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Coach, facilitator, critical friend: The complex role of the consultant in cross-sector partnerships
What key questions should cross-sector partnerships and consultants consider when embarking on a programme of partnership working?
The Healthy Communities Together partnerships
Watch our videos to find out more about the five Healthy Communities Together partnerships and the work they’ve been doing within their local communities.
You can discover more about their experiences and local learning by visiting the Gloucestershire, Plymouth, Leeds and Coventry partnership websites.
Evaluating the programme
The National Lottery Community Fund commissioned Cordis Bright to conduct an independent evaluation of the Healthy Communities Together programme. The purpose of the evaluation was to understand the difference partnership working has made for those involved in the programme and to gather insights about what support and funding are most useful to enable partnership working.
You can explore the final report, case studies for the five Healthy Communities Together sites, as well other outputs from the evaluation on the Cordis Bright website.
Want to learn more?
Explore some of The King’s Fund’s wider work on partnership working.
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What is neighbourhood health?
The government has put a 'neighbourhood health service' at the heart of its vision for the NHS – but what does that actually mean for staff and patients? And how might it be implemented ...
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Doing With: reinventing public services in a time of crisis
If the UK’s public sector is to avoid irreversible decline, we need a radical shift from a ‘do to’ to a ‘do with’ mindset to equip us for the future. Adam Lent explores what 'Doing With'...
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Making integrated care work: resources and learning to support cross-organisational working
Discover how The King’s Fund can support you in making integrated care work — through leadership development, stronger partnerships, and empowering ICSs to tackle local priorities like h...
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People power: lessons from the health care response to the Grenfell Tower fire
In this report we delve into the lessons that can be learnt from the health and care response to the Grenfell Tower fire and make recommendations for the ways services can engage with an...
ShiftWorks by The King's Fund
ShiftWorks is a low-cost online learning package offering CPD-accredited courses, events and tools to develop leadership skills and build a resilient, collaborative workforce. It includes a course called 'Systems go! Cross-sector partnering for healthier communities' which has been designed to help you work and collaborate effectively in a cross-sector partnership.
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2024 GSK IMPACT Award winners
Congratulations to the ten charities that have won 2024 GSK IMPACT Awards for their outstanding contributions to improving the UK’s health and wellbeing.
Actions to support partnership
This report provides an overview of the key actions required to tackle barriers and challenges to better partnership working between integrated care systems (ICS) and the voluntary, comm...
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