The start of a new year is a great chance to get involved in your local community, and here at the CCG we have plenty of opportunities for you to do just that!

We are looking to recruit community representatives to be part of our Accord Steering Group. This small group of Accord members meets monthly, ensuring that our members have great opportunities to shape local health and care services. You’ll also have the opportunity to get involved in the planning of our twice yearly public events – Way Forward, and Getting Better Together. Being a member of this Group is a great way to find out more about how the NHS in this area works, as well as giving you the opportunity to help further develop the Accord scheme and the opportunities that members receive to have their say on matters affecting North East Lincolnshire. In recent years, our Accord Steering Group members have helped to plan numerous events, represented Accord on the Citizens Panel for the Humber Acute Services Review, and have helped to shape the new engagement strategy for North East Lincolnshire.

Maybe you would like the opportunity to get out and about in the community, talking about everything health and social care related? Would you like to encourage people to get involved and have their say on the health and care services that they receive, or how they could be improved? Our Accord membership scheme is a way that North East Lincolnshire CCG can communicate with and involve members of the community in decision making. As an Accord Ambassador you will play an integral role in promoting Accord & allowing people to have their say on health and care plans. All ambassadors are provided with training and ongoing support by the CCG. If you have a friendly attitude, enjoy communicating with people and want to learn new skills, this could be the opportunity for you!

We know that hearing the views of the people in our community helps us to plan and buy services that meet the needs of local people. One way that we do this is through our Equality Impact Assessment panel. Our panel, made up of community members, meet regularly to help the CCG ensure that their plans and policies do not have a negative impact on local people, particularly those with protected characteristics ( eg gender, disability, sexual orientation etc). We are currently recruiting community members to our panel and would love it if you could join us. We are looking for motivated individuals who are passionate about equality and the services that are delivered in North East Lincolnshire.

Maybe getting involved in the nuts and bolts of service plans is more your cup of tea? Our Community Forum is responsible for ensuring that the views of the public are being considered by the CCG all of the time. It is made up of volunteer ‘community leads’ who each support a service area. We are looking to recruit a Community Lead for Primary Care, who will work with us to support the development of digital technology in North East Lincolnshire to enable patients to access services online. If you have an interest in Primary Care and want to work with GP Practices & Patient Participation Groups to develop services, we’d love to hear from you!

To find out more information about any of these roles, please come along to our information session at Centre4, Wootton Road, Grimsby, DN33 1HE on Thursday 6th February 1pm to 3pm. You can book a place by emailing nelccg.accord@nhs.net or phoning 0300 3000 567.

If you would prefer to give us a call for an informal chat, please contact Jonathan Brooks on 0300 3000 563 or Katie Thomas on 0300 3000 567 or email nelccg.accord@nhs.net.