Fareham and Gosport Voluntary Sector Health Forum

About 

The Fareham and Gosport Voluntary Sector Health Forum is a meeting point for the health services and more than 200 community groups in Fareham and Gosport that support people with health conditions.

The Forum allows patients to influence how health services meet their needs and become more effective.

Purpose 

To engage, inform and support local health and disability groups in the area so that:

1. They can collectively have their say and influence decision making
2. Their work is known and valued by healthcare providers, including GPs
3. They can put forward proposals to improve the health and wellbeing of patients with long-term conditions, and support their families
4. They are informed about proposals for the development of health services by the Hampshire & IoW Integrated Care System (Hants & IoW ICS) and can respond individually or collectively.
5. They can provide feedback or raise concerns about health services for the specific needs of patients with particular conditions.

The Hampshire & IoW Integrated Care System (Hants & IoW ICS) 

The Hampshire and Isle of Wight Integrated Care System is responsible for purchasing healthcare for patients in Fareham and Gosport, and is required by law to consult with patients.  The Health Forum helps the Hants & IoW IC to do this more effectively.

Upcoming Fareham and Gosport Voluntary Sector Health Forum:

• Thursday, 30th November, 1-2pm (Webinar)

Membership 

The Forum is open to all health and disability-related support groups, clubs and charities in Fareham and Gosport that aim to improve the health and well-being of their members. Representatives of the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Integrated Care System will also attend.

Past meetings/webinars

Whilst in-person Health Forum meetings were suspended from February 2020 due to the pandemic, we are pleased to report that online webinar meetings have been running as of 9th November 2020.

Meetings are organised four times a year, and hosted alternately by Community First Fareham and Gosport Voluntary Action. Groups unable to send a representative can participate in advance by email or phone. The agenda goes out by email a week before meetings, and responses from groups are collated. Generally the meetings have a theme, and ideas and suggestions are always welcome.

The Forum is not a channel for individual cases or complaints to be raised.

Most recent forum:

Fareham & Gosport Voluntary Sector Health Forum: Networking and Market Place Health Forum (Wednesday 13th September 2023)

• Download the Presentation (PDF format)

The first post-Covid Fareham and Gosport Voluntary Sector face to face Health Forum was held on Wednesday 13 September 2023 at Gateway Church, Fareham – with c56 attendees.

There were c25 Health Forum member organisations represented who provided a range of valuable information via their Market Stalls.

Following on from attendees being welcomed, Community First’s Chief Executive, Tim Houghton, started by launching the new Health Forum logo! He then provided both a countywide and a Fareham & Gosport Community and Voluntary Sector update.

Neil Cotton, Community Involvement Officer, Hampshire, Southampton & IoW, Integrated Care Board (ICB) introduced himself and provided an update for Gosport, Fareham and also, about the current ICB remodelling.

Valerie Rossiter, Chair, Fareham & Gosport District Branch Parkinson’s UK, provided an insightful information about the challenges for those living with Parkinson’s and how this local group helps its members.

Theresa Pratt, CEO, Blue Lamp Trust, explained about the Bobby scheme, safety and security checks and the equipment that is available for vulnerable adults.

The Health Forum finished with members providing updates about their local services and/or up & coming events. There was then an opportunity for Health Forum members to network before the Health Forum closed.

The next Fareham and Gosport Voluntary Sector Health Forum will be:-

• Thursday, 30th November, 1-2pm (Webinar)
• Tuesday,   6th February 2024, 1-2pm (Webinar)

For more information, please contact Jane Bray: healthforums@cfirst.org.uk

Past webinars and face-to-face events

•  16th May 2023 (Active and Healthy Lives)
  • View the webinar recording here (Tuesday, 16th May 2023)
    
  • Download the presentation (PDF Format)

• 22nd February 2023 (Staying warm, safe and healthy at home)
  • View the webinar recording here
  • Download the presentation (PDF format)

• 20th September 2022 (Cost of Living; Fuel and Food Poverty – Who Can Help)
  • View the webinar recording here (Tuesday, 20th September 2022)
  • Download the presentation (PDF format)
• 9th July 2o22: On Saturday, 9th July 2022, the Fareham and Gosport Voluntary Sector Health Forum meeting was replaced with the Fareham & Gosport Health and Wellbeing Fayre, held at Gosport Leisure Centre from 10.30am to 2pm.  For more information about the event please see:
  • • Health and wellbeing in the spotlight for Gosport & Fareham communities (press release, 14th July 2022)
    • Championing health and wellbeing for all at the Fareham & Gosport Health Fayre (press release, 22nd June 2022)
    • Fareham & Gosport Health and Wellbeing Fayre, Sat 9th July 2022 (original announcement)
• 11 May 2022 (Making a Difference – Young People’s Support Services)
• 24th March 2022 (Adult Mental Health Support)
• 9 February 2022 (Support for Addiction, Gambling and Debt)
• 12 October 2021 (CVS, Hants & IoW CCG, Places Leisure, Gosport Food Partnership and Portchester Community Association)
• 24 June 2021 (Updates on VCSE sector, Hants & IoW CCG, Harbour Cancer Support and Bereavement Care)
• 24 March 2021 (Updates from/on GVA, CCG and Solent Mind, Fareham and Gosport )
• 20 January 2021 (Updates from/on GVA, Community First and Hants & IoW CCG)
• 9 November 2020 (Updates from/on Community First, Coastal PCN, Gosport Central PCN, Fareham and Gosport CCG) 
• 4 February 2020 (face-to-face meeting; Updates from/on: British Red Cross, DWP, GVA, Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust, GAGDF and more)

Health Forum News Updates 

Key updates from the Fareham and Gosport Voluntary Sector Health Forums are shared with Members via email. If you are interested in receiving regular updates by email, please contact Jane Bray, Fareham and Gosport Voluntary Sector Health Forum Wellbeing and Membership Officer, on: healthforums@cfirst.org.uk / Tel: 07917 718409

Contact Us

For more information contact us by phone: 01329 231899 (Fareham) or 02392 583836 (Gosport), or send an email to Jane Bray, Fareham and Gosport Voluntary Sector Health Forum Administrator, on: healthforums@cfirst.org.uk.