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Dear Member,

To contact the Health Partnership Team just email below:

Clare Edwards Health Partnerships Manager
claree@cumbriacvs.org.uk
Holly Ferguson Health Partnerships Administration Officer
hollyf@cumbriacvs.org.uk
Sarah Penn Health Partnerships Support Officer
sarah.penn@cumbriacvs.org.uk

Keep up to date with our network events Padlet, which contains all of the information/presentations from each of our speakers at our recent Action for Health and Mental Health Provider Forum meetings.

• Social Prescribers, Care Coordinators, and Link Workers 
• Health and Wellbeing Coaches
• Work and Employment Coaches 
• VCSE organisations delivering Work + Health provision
• Anyone else working in the Work + Health space

An online meeting 21.10.2026 10am to 11.30am

Cumberland Council are relaunching their Health & Wellbeing Board and have written a NEW Health & Wellbeing Strategy This meeting will help you and your organisation to understand what the Cumberland Health & Wellbeing Strategy is, why it is important and illustrate how our sector’s work aligns to it.

This is one meeting of many being held in different organisations and sectors of the health and care system in Cumberland.

The aim of each is to support and develop a consensus across all parts of our health and care system including our sector, the NHS, Public Health, Children’s Services, Adult Social Care and primary care. This consensus will enable us all to work together effectively towards common goals and to improve the health of individuals and our communities in Cumberland.

Rach Stanton Programme Manager – Neighbourhood Health and Care Cumberland Council will:

Present the DRAFT strategy followed by a consultation workshop for comments, and discussion around how the sector can align with the strategy.

We are awaiting the DRAFT strategy and will ensure that you receive a copy as soon as it is available.

Next NCIC Physiotherapy waiting list Community Appointment Day (CAD) 25.11.2026 at the Sands Centre in Carlisle. 

Following the huge success of the September CAD day, with over 50 attendees, NCIC has set a date for the next session.

These days are a great opportunity for a range of third sector organisations to offer their services and support to people who are on NCIC waiting lists for physiotherapy appointments.

The day is appropriate for a range of organisations covering:

• Physical activity
• Mental health & wellbeing
• Advice and guidance (e.g. benefits support)
• Community centres/community gyms etc.

Residents, businesses, community groups and stakeholders are being encouraged to help shape the future of Cumberland by taking part in a new scoping consultation for the Cumberland Local Plan. 

The six-week consultation, which runs from 14 September to 23 October 2026, marks the first stage of preparing the Local Plan under the new planning system. It builds on work already undertaken, including the Issues and Options Consultation held in 2025, which helped identify some of the key challenges, opportunities and priorities facing Cumberland. 

The council is now seeking feedback to ensure that all important issues and opportunities have been identified and to help determine the most effective ways to engage with communities throughout the plan-making process. 

Cumberland Infirmary and our bereavement services team will hold the annual Baby Loss Remembrance Service at the Carlisle Burial Chapel on Tuesday 13 October. 

The service is open to anyone who has been affected by the loss of a baby and will include a time for quiet reflection and music. It offers an opportunity to come together, remember, and reflect in a supportive setting. 

Everyone is welcome to attend, whether you have experienced loss yourself or wish to support a family member or friend. 

An event address has been updated to the below for an event coming up in October 2026;

Health And Wellbeing With Let’s Grow Preston
Grange Community Gardens, opposite 79 Firtrees Avenue, Preston, PR2 6QW

Tuesday 13th October

10am to 3pm

If you had requested to support the original event on Tuesday, the 13th please save the above address.

The North Cumbria Recovery Colleges offer a welcoming and supportive environment where people can learn new skills, build on existing strengths, and connect with others through shared learning experiences. By focusing on education rather than treatment, Recovery Colleges help people develop confidence, increase their sense of control, and improve their overall wellbeing.

Open to anyone, including people experiencing mental health challenges, carers, professionals, family members, and the wider community, Recovery Colleges promote inclusivity, hope, and mutual understanding. All courses are FREE and designed to provide practical tools and strategies for everyday life, covering topics such as emotional wellbeing, resilience, stress management, self-care, and creative approaches to recovery.

One of our most popular courses within the Recovery College is the Decider Life Skills. The Decider Life Skills were designed to enable participants to make effective changes to help manage distress, regulate emotion, increase mindfulness, promote effective communication, and to live a more skillful, less impulsive life. The Decider Life Skills are delivered in an original, fun and creative style, using role plays, props, imagery and music, that makes them easy to learn and easy to teach. The demonstrations bring the 12 skills to life.

You can register for any of our courses via our website, www.togetherwe.uk/recovery-college. If you wish to contact us for any reason, you can do so by emailing hello@ncrecoverycollege.org or calling 0808 196 1773 during our opening hours, we are always happy to help.

Mobilise: Support for carers in Cumberland, day or night

Mobilise provides free online support to unpaid carers in Cumberland, commissioned alongside People First for adult carers and Family Action for young and parent carers.

Carers in Cumberland can access for free:

• Online peer-to-peer support community of over 200,000 carers
• 24/7 AI assistant trained on co-produced carer content and local information 
• a Cumberland-only space in the Mobilise Hub 
• one-to-one calls with a trained Carer Support Team seven days a week 
• short email courses
• Weekly newsletters
• Tools such as the Carer's Allowance and Blue Badge checkers

Over 2,400 carers have been identified across Cumberland. Around eight in ten carers reaching Mobilise in Cumberland have never accessed support before, making it a useful route for people local services have not yet met.

Mobilise is committed to connecting carers and we signpost back to local services, and organisations who can have their events and news featured in our weekly newsletter spotlight - submit yours here or email nicole.chiu@mobiliseonline.co.uk to learn more.

Homeshare is a local authority scheme that supports older people to remain living independently in their own homes for longer by reducing loneliness, social isolation, and the need for formal care services. This is achieved by carefully matching householders with approved Homesharers who live in their home and provide companionship and practical support. 

The scheme can be particularly helpful for individuals who are living alone, feeling isolated, lacking local family support, or who would benefit from an overnight presence and regular companionship. 

Homesharers contribute around around 10 hours per week of non-regulated support, which may include:

• Companionship and social interaction
• Support to access local activities and community opportunities
• Shopping and errands
• Light household tasks
• Gardening and practical assistance
• Support with pets

In return, Homesharers benefit from affordable accommodation and a meaningful living arrangement that brings benefits to both parties. 

For more information contact:

Sueann Maitchell

Supervisor | Shared Lives Westmorland & Furness

Mobile: 07825114447

The UK’s telephone network is being upgraded as part of the national Digital Switchover, with all traditional analogue landlines due to move to digital services by 31 January 2027.

While most residents will experience a straightforward change, it is important that people read and respond to communications from their telephone provider.

Check that phone service, and any devices connected to a landline such as telecare alarms, fall detectors or healthcare monitoring equipment, continue to work correctly.

In this edition you will find:

• Our local Neighbourhood Health update

•  Wider perspectives on Neighbourhood Health

•  News from our partners: Coastal Navigators Network

Lots of useful information from Future Proof Cumbria about how their  Free Home Energy Support Service can help households across Cumbria to:

• reduce their energy bills
• make their home warmer and more comfortable
• identify simple ways to save energy

Arthritis UK is hosting a free three-part online learning series to help professionals better understand arthritis and musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions and how to support people living with them.

They are working in partnership with the Integrated Care Board and Health Innovation North East and North Cumbria to provide education to staff who have not been clinically trained in this area.

The sessions are aimed at WorkWell Coaches across North East and North Cumbria, but are also open to people working in GP practices, primary care teams, social prescribing teams, employment support services, and other health and care professionals.

Sessions include:

• 15 October 2026: Introduction to Arthritis and MSK Conditions
• 19 November 2026: Arthritis and MSK Conditions in the Workplace
• 12 January 2027: Physical Activity and Living Well with MSK Conditions

Attendees will learn about the impact of MSK conditions on daily life and work, gain practical advice and resources to support patients and clients, understand workplace adjustments, and increase their confidence in signposting people to appropriate support services.

All sessions run from 12.30pm to 1.30pm and are free to attend.

For more information and to register, please visit the Eventbrite booking page.

The latest newsletter for The Cumbria Thyroid Service.

The latest news for North East and North Cumbria from Boost. 

Tailored support is available through participating local pharmacies across Westmorland and Furness. This includes a personalised quit plan and up to 12 weeks of free Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT), such as patches, gum or lozenges. 

The council's dedicated Stop Smoking Support Service offers personalised support, expert advice and 12 weeks of free NRT or e-cigarettes -  to give smokers the best possible chance of quitting successfully. 

Alternatively, for people looking for a non-nicotine approach, Westmorland and Furness Council also provides free access to Allen Carr's Easyway online programme, a proven digital stop smoking method. Allen Carr's Easyway books are available at all Westmorland and Furness libraries, while eBook and eAudio versions can be accessed through the library service's BorrowBox app. 

The NHS provides an online Personal Quit Plan which can help you find the products and support most suitable for you.  It will also help you prepare for your quit date, see how much money you could save and understand your triggers and how to manage them. 

All the latest news from Safety Net.

Safety Net is a free service supporting the recovery of those affected by rape, exploitation, sexual and domestic abuse in Cumbria.

Monthly newsletter from Cumbria Youth Alliance - September 2026

Westmorland and Furness Council and Cumberland Council are inviting residents, passengers, businesses and community groups to take part in the next phase of the Cumbria Bus Reform Pilot Study.

This stage will include a public questionnaire – available from Monday 5 until Sunday 25 October – and six community drop-in events.

The events will provide opportunities to share views directly.

Discussions will explore how different ways of planning, funding and operating bus services could support better access to jobs, education and essential services, strengthen rural connectivity, improve affordability and accessibility, and enhance the overall passenger experience.

Take part in the Cumbria Bus Reform Pilot Study survey.

Community conversation events:

• Friday 16 October – Penrith Library, between 12.30pm and 4.30pm
• Saturday 17 October – Carlisle Library, between 10.30am and 2.30pm
• Tuesday 20 October – Keswick Library, between 1.30pm and 4.45pm
• Wednesday 21 October – Workington Library & Community Hub, between 2pm and 6pm.

Find out more about the next phase of the Cumbria Bus Reform Pilot Study

The LSC ICB is refreshing it’s strategy, with the aim of launching an updated strategy from April 2027. This is an opportunity to ensure the future direction remains ambitious, relevant and focused on improving health and wellbeing for the people and communities we serve.

The ICB would welcome your views on the opportunities and challenges facing Lancashire and South Cumbria, the priorities that should shape our future direction, and how we can work together to improve outcomes and reduce inequalities.

The refreshed strategy will be grounded in the four core purposes of an ICB:

• Improving outcomes in population health and healthcare
• Tackling inequalities in outcomes, experience and access to care
• Enhancing productivity and value for money
• Supporting broader social and economic development

We would be grateful if you could share your views in whichever way is most convenient:

• Complete our short survey: ICB strategy refresh survey
• Email comments to lscicb.communications@nhs.net
• Share any relevant strategies, plans, research or insight from your organisation

Please send any responses by midnight on Sunday 25 October 2026. The feedback received will help inform a refreshed strategy and strategic commissioning plan for Lancashire and South Cumbria.

West Cumbria Rivers Trust are running several Walk and Talk events throughout 2026-2027.

Bookings are open one month in advance. All events are free but booking is essential. Click here to book.

Peter Rooney, Director of Commissioning: Mental Health, Autism, Neurodiversity and All Age Continuing Care, NENC ICB attended the recent VCSE Partnership Programme Forum 23.09.2026

Peter shared information (follow this link) about the ICB’s new approach to commissioning and how that impacts upon the VCSE sector. He talked about the new sub-committee structure and there were questions around the future of commissioning and how this will impact VCSE providers that have existing ICB contracts.

The latest guidance on Right Care Right Person. Information on how to report something to the police and prompts on what to say 

• Dr Mourad Wahba - Consultant Psychiatrist and Lead for the Care Pathway Enhancement (CaPE) Clinic, CNTW; Honorary Senior Clinical Lecturer, Newcastle University.
  “Building Research Infrastructure for Mood Disorders”
  Mourad is a consultant psychiatrist with particular interests in mood disorders and novel treatments, including the use of psychedelics. He leads CNTW’s CaPE Clinic, which gives people with depression and bipolar disorder opportunities to take part in research, and has led the local delivery of several clinical trials.
  
  
• Prof Allan Young - Head of the Department of Brain Sciences and Head of the Division of Psychiatry, Imperial College London.
   “Causes and Treatments of Severe Mental Illness”
  Allan is a psychiatrist and researcher whose work examines the causes and treatment of severe psychiatric illnesses, particularly mood disorders. He has held senior academic posts in the UK and Canada and has published extensively on psychopharmacology, depression and bipolar disorder.

Midlife, Menopause & Pain: An Open Conversation To mark World Menopause Day 2026, Menopause Matters is hosting a free one-hour online conversation exploring something that affects huge numbers of women but is still too often under-recognised: persistent pain in midlife.

There is more information and a booking form if you use the QR code attached.

Our latest post has key updates, including funding and project opportunities, representative roles and working groups you might want to get involved in and much more.

The latest vacancies in Cumbria, from across the sector. You'll also find vacancies with Cumbria CVS here too.

Cumbria CVS offers a free membership service for Voluntary, Community, Faith and Social Enterprise (VCFSE) organisations throughout Cumbria. This membership gives you access to our free services, including:

• Early access to our monthly e-bulletin newsletter
• Focus on Funding online - the latest funding opportunities
• Online Learning Programme (Volunteer Management, Funding, Governance, and Business Support)
• Evaluation and research resources
• Add your organisation to our member's directory and searchable map
• Advertising of your job vacancies on our website
• Right to vote at our AGM
• Other resources and support in development, including priority/early booking for our training and events

If you want to receive the latest news, events and updates on:

General sector info for your area
Our volunteering network
Volunteering vacancies
Our Action for Health and Mental Health Provider Forum networks
Trustee network
+ more

You can sign up for individual newsletters and manage your subscriptions to our mailings, all in one place!