Website of the Department of Health

Under the new Strategic Agreement between the Department of Health, the NHS and the voluntary and community sector (VCS) will have an even more central role in supporting and providing NHS services. Increasing the role of the voluntary sector will both increase capacity and give patients and others a wider choice of services to meet their individual needs.

Launching the Strategic Agreement, Health Secretary John Reid said:

"This agreement makes it easier for the voluntary and community sector to provide services for the expanding NHS. The NHS is expanding more quickly than ever before and today's agreement helps further supplement that expansion. The value of the voluntary and community sector to the work of health and social care services cannot be underestimated and that's why this Agreement is so important. It adds to the diversity of provision. It is a major building block in how we deliver our commitment to personalise NHS and said care services to meet the differing needs of every individual."

A National Strategic Partnership Forum will have responsibility for reviewing how the Agreement is working, supporting local partnerships in lowering barriers between the NHS and the VCS and it will pull together best practice and innovation from across England and help disseminate it throughout the health and social services. Current best practices include:

Sir Nicholas Young, Chair of the Making Partnership Work and Chief Executive of the British Red Cross, said:

"This welcome agreement is a landmark step towards a real working partnership between the voluntary sector and health and social care commissioners.  It is recognition of the hard work of the voluntary sector and of our potential contribution at the heart of service planning and provision.  It will help us all work better together. 

"In the UK the Red Cross currently has some 200 health and social care contracts. Organisations like ours are able to respond flexibly and innovatively to users' needs. This agreement recognises the unique added value voluntary organisations bring to the mix of modern service provision in local communities.

"I commend this agreement to every agency that has a stake in health and social care provision, and I urge them to support the work of the new Forum that will oversee its implementation.  It is vital that the Forum be an influential body that encourages good working relations at a local level."

Lord Victor Adebowale, Chief Executive of Turning Point, said:

"This is a vital step in enabling the not for profit sector to play its full role in providing health and social care services.  It is in line with the growing reality of a professional, vibrant £20 billion sector that is tackling some of the most difficult health issues across the UK.

"This agreement will give us a powerful voice in shaping health and social care policy, and a formal way of alerting the NHS to gaps in their services or problem areas affecting the most vulnerable.  Crucially, it will allow us to start to standardise contracts and partnership arrangements, freeing up time and money that will be better spent on delivering effective services to the people who need them most."  

Chief Nursing Officer Sarah Mullally said:

"Making Partnership Work for Patients, Carers and Service Users signalled a joint commitment with the NHS and voluntary sector leaders to work constructively together to optimise the voluntary sector contribution to a genuinely patient-centred health service. Through the development of the Strategic Agreement between the Department of Health, the NHS and the Voluntary and Community Service  we will strive to promote and support joint working with the voluntary and community sector at local level through progressive, dynamic and innovative partnership."