Wandsworth Care Alliance

Wandsworth Health & Care Partnership 16th April 2026 summary

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This months meeting had an Age Well focus. Please see below events and information shared.

Webinar on the Economic value of Creative Health
Recommended livestream on the economic value of creative health, echoed by the new report from the Arts Council on the Economic Impact of the Arts on Health and Healthcare Services in Wales. Powerful and very informative. WATCH THE WEBINAR RECORDING HERE. 

Memory Lane Service – Information Flyer

Age Well Together Service – Information sheet, referral form & Case study

Age UK Wandsworth – Age Well Together Service

Community Engagement Activities – April 2026

Age UK Wandsworth case study

Age UK Wandsworth, Age Well Together Service Referral Form



What is the Civil Society Covenant and why it matters for Wandsworth

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You may have started to hear more about the Civil Society Covenant in recent months. While it may sound like national policy language, it represents an important shift in how voluntary and community organisations are recognised and engaged both nationally and locally.

A reset in the relationship

The Civil Society Covenant is a principles-based agreement between government and civil society, designed to reset and strengthen relationships after a period where trust, communication and collaboration had become strained. Developed in partnership with the sector, including through engagement led by the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO), it builds on earlier frameworks such as the Compact, but goes further in recognising civil society as an equal partner in shaping policy and delivering change.

The Covenant reflects feedback from organisations across the country, highlighting challenges such as limited involvement in decision-making, barriers in commissioning, and a lack of recognition of the sector’s independence and expertise.

What the Covenant includes

The Covenant sets out shared principles:
– Respect for the independence of civil society organisations
– Recognition of the sector’s role in advocacy, service delivery and community leadership
– A commitment to meaningful partnership working

Further resources:
Full Covenant
Overview
Civil Society Covenant Programme
NCVO guidance

Recent national developments highlight how this is being taken forward. This week, the Prime Minister attended the first meeting of the new Civil Society Council at 10 Downing Street, alongside sector leaders, marking a significant step in embedding the Covenant at the heart of government. The meeting focused on strengthening partnership working and improving commissioning and procurement for civil society organisations.

Read more.

Why this matters

The Covenant recognises civil society as a vital partner in creating stronger communities. It supports organisations to influence decisions, build partnerships and advocate for fairer systems.

How WCA has contributed

Wandsworth Community Alliance (WCA) contributed to national consultation through NCVO, attended the launch at the Houses of Parliament, and continues to champion the Covenant locally.

We also applied and were considered for the new Civil Society Council. While not appointed, this reflects growing national recognition. Representation would have enabled Wandsworth’s voice to shape national implementation.

Locally, WCA is raising awareness, promoting resources and strengthening partnerships across the borough.

Looking ahead

We encourage all organisations to explore the resources and use the Covenant to support their work locally.

World Immunisation Week 24-30th April 2026

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This week marks World Immunisation Week, an important reminder of the vital role vaccines plays in protecting our health and preventing the spread of serious diseases. This awareness week is built around sharing a powerful message “For every generation, vaccines work.”

Over the past 50 years, vaccines have saved more than 150 million lives , not by accident, but because ordinary people made the decision to protect themselves, their children and their communities from diseases like measles, diphtheria, pertussis, polio, and rotavirus. 

Vaccination is one of the most effective ways to safeguard individuals, families, and communities. From childhood immunisations to adult boosters, vaccines help prevent illness, reduce pressure on health services, and protect those who are most vulnerable.

We know that access and confidence can sometimes be barriers, which is why community led approaches are so important.

This year we are proud to have awarded 8 voluntary organisations and community groups funding through our MMRV (measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella) grant programme. These organisations have and will be working directly with local communities raising awareness, building trust, and helping people make informed decisions about vaccination.

Their work highlights the power of local, trusted voices in improving health outcomes and ensuring that accurate information reaches those who need it most.

Below we are sharing the upcoming events of our 8 chosen organisations:

1.  Other Ways to Care are one of the organisations receiving our MMRV Grant Fund.

They are going to design and organise a series of engagement sessions focused on the MMRV vaccination whilst specifically targeting young Roma families residing in the Wandsworth Borough. They have set up a core team in order to design these activities based on their community’s concerns, needs, experiences and insights. They are also thinking hard about how to reach those community members (young Romani mothers) who may be less likely to attend, whether that’s due to domestic caring duties, or because of the sensitivity of the topic. The team will facilitate these conversations in a comfortable community setting using the prompts/resources provided by WCA to open the discussion, keeping it light touch without giving any specific medical advice or directing the discussion. Insights will be captured for an activity report which will be shared at a later date.

2. Sanctuary for Sisterhoods is another organisation running a creative activity where local community members can attend and enjoy a session of arts and crafts and discuss vaccinations in safe and welcoming space. Please visit our events webpage to see the flyer for more details.

3. Katherine Low Settlement is another charity which will be running a information session on the 2nd and 30th of June.  See our events page for all the details on their flyer.

4. Children Hope Forever is also running a MMRV vaccination drop in session where you can come along to get more information, speak to a member of staff and find out more about vaccinations. See our events page for dates on their flyer.

As we mark World Immunisation Week, we encourage everyone to check their vaccination status and speak to a trusted healthcare professional if they have any questions. Together, we can continue to build healthier, more resilient communities.

Keep a look out on our events webpage where you can find local upcoming events and events in relation to vaccination support.

Voluntary Sector Representative Required Wandsworth Health and Wellbeing Board

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The Wandsworth Health and Wellbeing Board is a partnership between Wandsworth Council, the NHS and the voluntary sector. It meets four times a year at Wandsworth Town Hall, and is chaired by the Cabinet Member for Health, Cllr Graeme Henderson.

The Health and Wellbeing Board aims to:

  1. Improve the population’s health and reduce health inequalities
  2. Help reform the way the health and care system works
  3. Protect the health of residents

In Wandsworth, the Board retains a place for a representative of the voluntary sector in the borough. That representative can offer insight, support and challenge from the voluntary sector.

Abi Carter, who has been the voluntary sector representative since 2023 is now stepping down from the role because she has a new job outside the borough. This means we need a new representative.

Are you interested? If so, read on to understand more about the role.

A note from Abi Carter:

“The role gives you a really good insight into the health and wellbeing eco-system both in Wandsworth and, where necessary, in South West London. It also gives you the opportunity to get to know and hear from a load of awesome and impressive people working and volunteering at charities in the borough. There are four Board meetings a year (which you can join in person or remotely) and usually a couple of seminars. Before each meeting, you’d work with WCA and Vusi Edeki who is the liaison between Wandsworth and the VCS (and who is great!) to run an engagement meeting with voluntary sector stakeholders. These meetings are aimed at explaining more about the Board’s work, hearing ideas / concerns for you to take to the meetings and also establish stronger networks between different people and organisations.

“In the time I’ve been on the Board, I’ve definitely seen a drive towards doing more outside of the meetings e.g. in seminars, which is positive. The meeting papers do tend to be a gazillion pages long BUT I’ve found that AI can really help in terms of summarising them / focusing on voluntary sector-focused things in the papers so you can prioritise what you read.”

The person:

This is a unique opportunity for someone with an understanding of health and social care issues in the borough to influence the strategic direction of our local services on behalf of the voluntary sector.  Do you want to ensure the knowledge and experience of our sector is heard?  Do you want to help shape inclusive, effective services which work for all?

We are looking for someone, prepared to work alongside the VSCS to ensure that the voluntary sector contribution to the Health and Wellbeing Board and the feedback from the Board is communicated effectively to the voluntary sector and to our statutory partners. 

The commitment:

The representative is elected for an initial period of three years, with an option to stand for another three years.

Board meetings are held four times each year, with papers circulated around a week before the Board meets.  Board meetings last about two hours, and it can take around the same time again to go through the papers beforehand.

Future dates:

  • 2026: June 25th; Sept 17th; Dec 3rd
  • 2027: Feb 27th

All meetings take place between 1-3pm usually at Wandsworth Town Hall.  You can view agendas and minutes of previous meetings here:

https://democracy.wandsworth.gov.uk/ieListMeetings.aspx?CId=508&Year=0

There is also a Health and Wellbeing Board Engagement Group that meets before each Board meeting. This usually meets a couple of weeks before the Board and is chaired by the voluntary sector rep. This meeting lasts an hour.  Wandsworth Care Alliance promote and host the Engagement Group.

Anyone from within the voluntary sector in Wandsworth can attend, and it’s usually also attended by council officers. It gives the voluntary sector the opportunity to:

  1. Understand more about the Board, through presentations on key topics and the chance to see what’s on the forthcoming agenda
  2. Strengthen relationships with other members of the voluntary sector
  3. Ask the voluntary sector representative to raise issues relevant to the agenda.

How to express your interest in becoming the representative:

Send in a short video (5 mins max) or statement (2 pages max) about why you want to be the representative and what you think you’d bring to the role by Tuesday 12th May 2026 to Shani Tully at Wandsworth Care Alliance at the following email address:

shani@wandcareall.org.uk

Election of the Health and Wellbeing Board Representative

The election of the Health and Wellbeing Board Voluntary Sector Representative will take place at the Voluntary Sector Forum.  The Forum is being held on 18th May 2026 from 12-2pm at the Kambala Community Hall 126 Fawcett Close, London SW11 2LQ
Register your free space here.

Integrated Neighbourhood Teams – April Update

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Neighourhood health teams are part of the NHS 10 year plan to bring healthcare closer to people and allow for more collaborative working.

Wandsworth Care Alliance is helping to ensure the valuable contribution VCS organisations in Wandsworth make to wellbeing is recognised and that the sector’s involvement in Neighbourhoods continues to be developed.

Read the latest about Neighbourhoods including information about the recent Government policy paper.

Latest Updates

Community Voices in Wandsworth