
6 September 2021
Lessons from Covid-19 for the role of the voluntary sector in the NHS
The Healthy Ageing and Care network funded a pilot project in Oxfordshire (January to July 2021) which explored the lessons that can be learnt from the Covid-19 pandemic, for the role of the voluntary sector in ‘Integrated Care Systems’. Integrated Care Systems (ICS) are a long-term aim of the NHS and bring together different stakeholders, including the voluntary sector, local authorities and the NHS to provide more effective health and social care. ICSs will become statutory bodies in England in April 2022, and have already been introduced in some areas, but they are relatively recent in many places, and research is needed to examine how stakeholders can work together more effectively for better health outcomes. Photo by Mark Epstein