Phase 1: Voice, Influence, and Representation Pilot (2021 – 2022)

Phase 1 of what later became know as G-HIVE started with the delivery of the Voice, Influence, and Representation Pilot. This begun in July 2021 and focused on two key deliverables: Voice and Influence Workshops and a Voice and Influence Conference. These were delivered alongside ongoing consultation and engagement with the Statutory and Voluntary Sectors, with the phase overall consisting of three stages of delivery:

• Baselining of key issues around voice and influence in the Royal Borough of Greenwich
• Developing agreements and consensus about how voice and influence can be synchronised within the Health and Social Care System, as well as between the Statutory and Voluntary Sectors 
• Initiating the co-design of a Voice Hub for the borough (which later became known as Greenwich Hub for Influence, Voice, and Engagement)

Voice and Influence Workshops

At the outset of the programme, a series of three workshops were held between July and November 2021 around voice and influence with the Voluntary Sector in the borough. Each workshop aimed to provide a safe space for Greenwich-based groups and organisations to share experiences, explore barriers, and identify solutions to engaging with and influencing the health and social care system. Facilitators supported participants to articulate the issues that mattered most to them, their service users, and their broader communities. Each workshop focused on one of three group/organisation types:

• Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnicity (BAME)-led
• Smaller / Non-Commissioned
• Larger / Commissioned

Voice and Influence Conference

In December 2021, a Voice and Influence Conference was curated as the culmination of the workshop series. It was attended by representatives from the Statutory and Voluntary Sectors and focused on the priorities articulated through the workshops. The conference provided a space for both sectors to explore ways to:

• Embed engagement and voice from local voluntary, community, and faith-based groups and organisations into current and future developments within the wider health and social care landscape
• Build on collaboration during the COVID-19 pandemic, which had already reshaped communication within the system
• Implement effective engagement and communication approaches to help achieve the Royal Borough of Greenwich’s Equality and Equity Charter pledges

Voice and Influence Conference Report

Welcome and Introductions Presentation

Community Engagement Approach in Greenwich Presentation

Voice and Influence Workshops Presentation

Communication, Consultation, Co-Production, and Co-Design

During the Voice and Influence Conference, both sectors worked together to develop a priority list of Options for Improvement and a Schedule of Implementation for the second and third stages of Phase 1, which resulted in the development of the Royal Borough of Greenwich Voice and Influence Charter. Furthermore, workshops were also held for both sectors to discuss and develop how to use maximise funding and resources for voice, and to build understanding of how the health and social care system works. Phase 1 concluded with an initial co-design workshop for G-HIVE during which Statutory and Voluntary Sector expectations and requirements for the new infrastructure and activities were captured ahead of Phase 2 of the programme launching.

Royal Borough of Greenwich Voice and Influence Charter

Funding and Resources for Voice Workshop Report

G-HIVE Co-Design Workshop Report

Phase 1: Outcomes

During the Voice, Influence, and Representation Pilot, several outcomes were achieved in relation to consensus on the following:

• How the Statutory and Voluntary Sectors should work together around co-production, engagement, and information provision
• Ensure that smaller organisations, and community champions, could be funded to ensure seldom-heard voices are better involved in the Health and Social Care System
• The importance of networking, building meaningful relationships, and mutual understandings
• How the Statutory and Voluntary Sectors can develop a Voice Hub (later known as G-HIVE) to provide a comprehensive range of one-to-one support, training and networking opportunities, information, advice and guidance provisions, and community outreach - this also included methods to convene the Health and Social Care System to deal with difficult issues

For further information about G-HIVE, please email the METRO GAVS Team.