How insight has led to change

Following the launch of the ICB in July 2022, we worked together to co-produce our Community Engagement Framework: a strategic approach for working together with people and communities. This framework and our approach were developed with a wide range of local partners and people through a co-production process. Progress against its delivery will be monitored and owned by Northamptonshire ICB. 

Working in partnership with people and communities forms the foundations of our strategic approach to developing integrated care for all our citizens. The objective of our Community Engagement Framework is to enable ICN partners to work more effectively together, as it provides a clear expectation for working with people and communities in the design, delivery and improvement of health and care systems. It also supports us to meet our obligations as set out in the NHS ‘Working in Partnership with People and Communities Statutory Guidance’.

You can download our ICN Community Engagement Framework 2022-25[pdf] 519KB 

Read more about our NHS Northamptonshire ICB Constitution[pdf] 405KB

We give our community the opportunity to shape their local health and care services in Northamptonshire. By involving our community, we are more likely to get things right. We are all on this journey together so listening to your views is important to us.

Integrated Care Northamptonshire (ICN) successfully bid and secured funding from NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care in October 2023 for the delivery of a Research Engagement Network (REN) Project in Northamptonshire. 

The aim of the REN project is also to work in partnership with voluntary, community, faith and social enterprise (VCFSE) organisations to engage under-represented groups and communities, such as under-served groups with protected characteristics as well as inclusion health groups, to improve participation in NHS research. 

The REN project aligns with both national and regional approaches to the community, for example as identified in the Core20PLUS5 Strategy which aims to reduce health inequalities, and in the Integrated Care Northamptonshire Community Engagement Framework and NHS Northamptonshire Integrated Care Board Five-Year Joint Forward Plan.

In summer 2024 a film about the project was screened to partners and can be watched via this page.

Short Breaks are fun or educational activities for children and young people with disabilities. They allow their parents or carers to take a 'short break' from caring. Short Break activities can be accessed at the weekend, during the school holidays, and at youth clubs in the evening. 

Pre-engagement took place during October and November 2023, Parents and practitioners told us that short breaks are critical for supporting families with children with disabilities.

They also told us they can be improved by being more flexible, more responsive, and more joined up. Children and young people using the service have told us the type of activities they want to take part in.

We are also aware that children with more complex needs or who require higher levels of support are not always able to access short break activities. This means the option for them to access a short break can be limited so they are not necessarily receiving the support they need when they need it. 

We have been commended on how clear we have been on the outcome of the consultation, ensuring this is clearly displayed and documented. 

More information about the consultation and outcomes of the consultation can be found on the Children's Trust website

The Children and Young People Transformation Programme is guided by the THRIVE Framework, which keeps the voice of the child and their parents or carers at the centre of service design, ensuring they are supported to access services based on their identified level of need with an emphasis on safeguarding from harm.

This plan has been co-produced with young people from varying backgrounds across Northamptonshire. Ensuring our future planning is meaningful and relevant to the young people who use our services, and their supporting families/carers, is a priority for all organisations within our system.

We have also created an easy read version of this document, and our young people have co-produced their version published alongside this version. The ICB is committed to upholding the commitments of the Northamptonshire Children’s Charter which was co-produced with local children and young people, and tells us what they want from health and wellbeing services, developed using engagement from more than 2,000 local young people.

There are further videos explaining our work on the Children and Young People Transformation plan on our YouTube channel