Community Led Support

The CLS programme brings innovation to how we support people – designed and driven by practitioners along with local partners and members of the community they are serving. This builds on any previous change programmes and local initiatives, consolidating what is already working, making connections within and across the health, community and social care system, joining up good practice and strengthening common sense, empowerment and trust.

Now in its ninth year, the programme involves both dedicated support to shape and implement change, (using an extensive body of evidence and knowledge about what works) as well as peer support and sharing across the network. All our team have experience of leading and implementing these changes and bring expertise in specific areas that each site can benefit from. We host national online (and ‘in person’) gatherings, workshops and events that share the challenges and successes across the areas, bringing people together to share, support and inspire. Joining the network involves a minimum of two years’ concerted activity to design, test and embed cultural and whole system change based on the CLS principles and local vision.

Our Evidence and Learning colleagues support each area to know if changes are making a difference and every few years we bring this together across the network to share the collective learning. There is now a large body of evidence demonstrating that CLS is the engine that can drive wide improvements across the system and, most importantly, for people locally.

By implementing Community Led Support, network members are finding that the cultural shift in how they work with communities and partners is not only benefiting people locally but staff teams report higher morale and job satisfaction, there is increased joint working on the ground, the system is more efficient and resources are used sensibly, where they are most needed. CLS has also had a positive impact in the ability to respond to the Coronavirus pandemic.

CLS is genuinely transformative and joining the CLS network is a partnership which requires brave leadership, commitment and ownership throughout. This is not possible without a degree of discomfort as part of the change process, whilst maintaining a focus on doing the right thing and holding onto the values and principles which define that.