VCSE Health and Wellbeing Alliance Resource Library
These projects are designed and delivered in partnership with policy leads across the Department of Health and Social Care, UK Health Security Agency and NHS England to address issues of importance to the communities they work with or represent. Read more about the VCSE Health and Wellbeing Alliance here.
Below is a resource library for the Alliance’s publications to date, organised by theme.
Mental health and suicide prevention
Supporting people experiencing homelessness in an accident and emergency setting
The Homeless Health Consortium carried out work on developing a training tool to enable better use of mental capacity and safeguarding legislation in relation to people experiencing homelessness.
The British Red Cross carried out work on barriers to accessing mental health services and support for people seeking asylum and refugees.
Insights from experience: alcohol and suicide (2022)
The Suicide Prevention Consortium carried out work on alcohol, suicide and self-harm to build an understanding of effective support for people from a marginalised, excluded or stigmatised group.
Lived experience insights to inform the refreshed National Suicide Prevention Strategy (June 2022)
The Suicide Prevention Consortium ensured lived experience input into a refreshed National Suicide Prevention Strategy
Tackling Suicide Inequalities in Gypsy and Traveller Communities (September 2022)
Friends, Families and Travellers and The Roma Support Group developed guidance on tackling suicide inequalities for Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities.
Reforming the Mental Health Act (MHA) – The impact of opt-out advocacy (October 2022)
The Complex Needs Consortium carried out work on maximising safeguards and support for people with complex needs who are deprived of their liberty as part of reforms to the Mental Capacity Act and Mental Health Act.
Physical health checks for people with severe mental illness (November 2022)
The Race Equality Foundation carried out work on NHS Health Checks for people with a severe mental illness from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities.
The New Normal: Life After Lockdown for LGBTQIA+ People in England (March 2023)
The National LGBT Partnership carried out work on mental health in the LGBTQIA+ community as a result of the pandemic.
Locality and the Power to Change partnership worked on the role of community spaces in young people’s mental health and community engagement.
Insights from experience: economic disadvantage. suicide and self-harm (March 2023)
The Suicide Prevention Consortium carried out work on economic disadvantage, suicidality and self-harm, specifically looking at lived experience and inequalities.
The Race Equality Foundation carried out work on promoting physical health checks for people with severe mental illness among Black African and Caribbean communities.
Voiceability carried out work exploring the provision of advocacy services for voluntary patients in mental health hospitals in England.
Voiceability carried out work exploring the potential role of advocacy services in supporting the use of Advance Choice Documents by people admitted, or at risk of admission, to mental health hospitals in England.
‘Tomorrow is too late’: suicide prevention support for people with no fixed address (March 2024)
The Suicide Prevention Consortium explored how suicide prevention support can be improved in policy and practice for people with no fixed address in people’s own words.
Exploring experiences of accessing support for alcohol issues and suicidal ideation (March 2024)
The Suicide Prevention Consortium explored the support pathway for people seeking support around alcohol and suicide, and identified five key themes where improvement is needed to address the barriers preventing more people from accessing the help they need.
Maternal health
Tommys and Sands Maternity Consortium carried out work on ensuring equitable access to specialist perinatal mental health community services and maternal mental health services.
Barriers to Accessing Maternity Care (August 2022)
Tommys and Sands Maternity Consortium carried out work on engaging with diverse communities to improve access to appropriate services for those at risk of poorer maternity outcomes.
Sharing learning from the Starting Well Fund (December 2022 – February 2023)
Tommys and Sands Maternity Consortium carried out work on sharing learning from, and amplifying the impact of the Starting Well Health and Wellbeing Fund projects.
Inequity in neonatal care (March 2023)
Tommys and Sands Maternity Consortium carried out work on addressing inequity in neonatal care.
Tackling Maternal Health Inequalities in Gypsy, Roma and Traveller Communities (May 2023)
Friends, Families and Travellers and Roma Support Group developed guidance on tackling inequalities for Gypsy, Roma and Traveller women in maternity services.
Understanding women’s lived experience of children’s social care proceedings (May 2023)
Birth Companions conducted a project for the Tommy’s and Sands Maternity Consortium exploring the impact of children’s social care involvement on women’s mental and physical health and wellbeing.
Social Prescribing
Social Prescribing Good Practice and Top Tips (2022)
The Carers Partnership carried out work on good practice in social prescribing and interventions to combat loneliness amongst unpaid carers.
Inclusive Social Prescribing (June 2023)
FaithAction carried out work on social prescribing to faith and community venues; identifying good practice in reducing inequalities.
Going further together (June 2023)
Locality and the Power to Change partnership carried out work on the critical role of VCSE organisations in neighbourhood health ecosystems.
Primary care
Creating great collaboration between Primary Care Networks and the VCSE sector (March 2022)
Locality and the Power to Change partnership carried out work on inspiring greater collaboration between Primary care Networks and voluntary sector organisations.
Top tips: Supporting digital inclusion in general practice (2023)
The Good Things Foundation produced a practical guide to inclusive design of digital primary care models and approaches.
Accessible and inclusive communication within primary care (June 2023)
National Voices looked at people’s experiences and what needs to change to enable accessible and inclusive communications for people with specific needs within primary care.
A shift to multidisciplinary teams in general practice (June 2023)
National Voices looked at insights and made recommendations on how to improve experiences of multidisciplinary teams within general practice amongst populations who experience health inequalities and frequent users of primary care services.
Digital inclusion
Top Tips to help with Digital Inclusion (2022)
The Valuing People Alliance worked on digital learning through COVID-19 – opportunities to redress inequalities through including people with learning disabilities in digital redesign plans.
Health inequalities and mitigating risks of digital exclusion (2022)
The Good Things Foundation have carried out work on reducing digital exclusion risks and taking forward Core20PLUS5.
The British Red Cross explored the impact of digital exclusion on experiences of accessing mental health services and care among people seeking asylum in England.
Elective care and waiting
The British Red Cross carried out work harnessing the expertise and insight of the Health and Wellbeing Alliance in addressing inequality in experiences of waiting for elective care.
Social care
The Valuing People Alliance developed inclusive information and advice for those who draw on care, unpaid carers and families.
Putting People at the Heart of Care (April 2023)
The Valuing People Alliance worked to inform emerging strategy, policy and programme development on workforce and knowledge framework by providing expertise and advice to the Department of Health and Social Care.
Carers’ assessments: developments, digital, diversity, co-production and good practice (May 2023)
The Carers Partnership worked on good practice in providing and delivering Carer’s Assessments.
Time Away From Caring: Good Practice in Carer Breaks (2023)
The Carers Partnership worked on good practice in providing carers with access to breaks.
End of life care and support
Support at the end of life: The role of hospice services across the UK (May 2022)
The Palliative and End of Life Care Consortium carried out work on boosting equality of access through identification of need and meaningful engagement at end of life. They also looked at data and intelligence to improve understanding of reach and population need.
A guide to commissioning bereavement support in England (March 2023)
The Palliative and End of Life Care Consortium worked on commissioning compassionate community bereavement care services, and produced a suite of eight resources.
Additional health inclusion and inequality themes
The Experience of Care Subgroup, led by the National Development Team for Inclusion, illustrated a range of ways in which Integrated Care Systems or Integrated Care Boards have worked together with people in their communities with a range of lived experience, and with the local voluntary sector.
SPOTLIGHT – Improving Inclusion Health Outcomes
Friends, Families and Travellers and the Roma Support Group carried out work on supporting involvement of people with lived experience in development of an Inclusion Health Data Monitoring System.
The Homeless Health Consortium carried out work on improving the confidence and ability amongst homelessness sector frontline staff to initiate health-related conversations and provide effective health advocacy.
A policy briefing regarding Virtual Wards (September 2022)
The Carers Partnership looked at policy and delivery of Virtual Wards in relation to unpaid carers.
Improving Roma health: a guide for health and care professionals (November 2022)
Friends, Families and Travellers and Roma Support Group carried out work on developing a guide on tackling health inequalities for migrant Roma communities.
Health and Wellbeing Alliance: Accessibility and Inclusion Guidance (2023)
The Good Things Foundation carried out work on creating accessibility standards and principles for the Health and Wellbeing Alliance.
Creating health and wealth by stealth (January 2023)
Locality and the Power to Change partnership looked at community anchor organisations, prevention services, and the impact on the wider determinants of health.
Holding conversations about health (March 2023)
The Homeless Health Consortium carried out work on developing capacity building resources and tools which upskill the homelessness workforce to enable more effective conversations about health that lead to improved signposting and advocacy.
The Race Equality Foundation carried out work on identifying and promoting good practice in reablement with Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic people living with dementia to address health inequalities.
Hard Done Bi: An Exploration of Bi+ Health Inequalities in England (March 2024)
The National LGBT Partnership looked at new, comprehensive research on bi+ health inequalities in England. They also produced an accompanying pamphlet, which is available here.
Keep it Local for Better Health (February 2024)
Locality’s Keep it Local for Better Health guidance combines the learnings of three years on the VCSE Health and Wellbeing Alliance with 10 years of growing the Keep it Local campaign.
Understanding health system funding (February 2024)
Locality’s Understanding health system funding report supports local VCSE organisations to identify the barriers to accessing health system funding, make the most of opportunities, and start proactively influencing for greater involvement in the system.
Creating inclusive services (March 2024)
Supported by the NHS England Healthcare Inequalities Improvement Team, Locality has carried out a research project to understand the role of community organisations in creating inclusive services which meet the needs of communities and help to tackle health inequalities.
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