Get involved

One of the best things about Accord is you can get involved as much or a little as you like.

Our members have told us what topics interest them, how they prefer to be contacted and how they want to get involved. Membership is free and flexible to suit you.

Sometimes we’re just looking for people to tell us their experiences of local services and other times we are looking for people to actively feedback ideas on developing new services.

Whatever your interests or background, we have something to suit everyone from our Suits You membership, Accord Ambassador roles, Steering Group or an appointment to the Community Forum.

Suits You is the new way to have your say about health and social care services through Accord

  • at a level that suits you
  • in ways that suit you
  • about things you are interested in.

Armchair

Do you want to be involved from home but don’t have an email address? The armchair membership option is for you. Sign up to receive newsletters, take part in surveys by telephone or post about things that interest you. Armchair members recieve the 'According to...' quarterly newsletter by post with news and engagement opportunities from the Accord team

Cyber

Would you like have your say using your computer, hand-held tablet or mobile phone? Sign up to cyber membership to receive information by email or social media, take part in online surveys, blogs and discussion forums. Cyber members recieve a fortnightly e-bulletin from Accord with news and the latest local, regional and national engagement opportunities from the Accord team. You can also follow us on Twitter @NELAccord

Out and About

Do you want to come to events, meetings and focus groups to have your say on things that interest you? Sign up for the 'out and about' membership today. We will send you information about 'out and about' opportunities in your areas of interest. We have two big public engagement meetings a year, in March and September, and 'bite-sized' versions of the meetings in the evening for people unable to attend a day time meeting. These give Accord members the opportunity to meet face to face with health and social care leaders, staff and volunteers to discuss and influence the latest plans and developments.

Ambassadors

This role is great for members who want to get more involved with Accord by promoting the scheme at community events and helping to recruit new members. Ambassadors recieve training and support for their role and it is a great way to get involved and be part of a team.

Accord Steering Group

Members who want to take a leadership role in Accord can join the Steering Group. The role of the group is to champion the Accord scheme to ensure that the CCG is effectively engaging with the local community. Steering group members monitor the effective use of Accord and ensure the outcomes of engagement activities with the membership are fed back to participants; as well as developing best practice standards for engagement with Accord members.

Support for our volunteers

We want to ensure people who wish to volunteer their time to help the CCG are fully supported to do so. We provide training and development opportunities and can support with IT where appropriate to enable volunteers to participate. The CCG Volunteer Expenses Policy has been developed to ensure people are not out of pocket as a result of their volunteering/engagement with us and to inform CCG staff so that they understand what expenses are payable to volunteers.

Whatever role suits you best don’t miss your chance to get involved, meet new people and learn new skills.