VCSE Health and Wellbeing Alliance

The Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) Health and Wellbeing Alliance (HW Alliance) is a partnership between voluntary sector representatives and the health and care system. It is jointly managed and funded by the Department of Health and Social Care, NHS England and the UK Health Security Agency.

The HW Alliance’s mission is to enable policy, commissioning and provider organisations to design services and support based on the needs of people and communities who face disadvantage and exclusion.

Together, we work to:

• Improve access to health and care services and support for those who experience barriers.
• Ensure health and care providers and policymakers are supported and challenged to embed inclusion in service design and improvement.
• Improve inclusivity and codesign across the voluntary sector.

There are over 70 equalities focused charities in the HW Alliance, who have strong connections with the majority of groups of people in England experiencing health inequalities. Each year, HW Alliance members undertake over 50 projects where they work in partnership with policy leads across the Department of Health and Social Care, NHS England and the UK Health Security Agency to address issues of importance to the communities they work with. National Voices, as joint coordinator of the HW Alliance with NAVCA, brings HW Alliance members together at key moments throughout the year to input into policy making in a strategic and impactful way. Our aim is to ensure the voices of communities experiencing inequalities are heard loud and clear in national decision making around health and care.

Full details of the HW Alliance and its members are published on the NHS England website.