A case study on how the Bristol North Somerset and South Gloucestershire VCSE Alliance is finding voice, influence and stronger partnerships across health and care.
What did the work set out to achieve?
The BNSSG VCSE Alliance Leadership Programme set out to strengthen the leadership capacity, capability and confidence of the Alliance’s Ambassadors in order to help them to represent the voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) sector effectively within the health and care system.
It aimed to:
- Build shared understanding of how Integrated Care Systems (ICSs) and Boards (ICBs) operate;
- Develop the ability to work strategically and collaboratively across organisational boundaries;
- Create a consistent, collective approach to influencing decision-making; and
- Enable Ambassadors to promote the VCSE’s distinctive voice in shaping better health and wellbeing outcomes.
At its heart, the work focused on creating the conditions for VCSE leaders, regardless of the size of their organisation, to speak up and engage confidently with NHS and local government partners, while retaining their independence and purpose.
Who participated?
The programme brought together 45 Ambassadors from across Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire, representing organisations that advocate for a wide range of communities, including disability, race and ethnicity, faith, older people, young people, women and LGBTQ+ groups.
Participants came from both large and small organisations – from Age UK and Citizens Advice to Black Mothers Matter CIC, Alive Activities and the Creative Youth Network – with roles spanning Chief Executives, Centre Managers, and Directors of Partnerships and Services.
Around 20% came from micro-organisations, and three-quarters from groups supporting marginalised communities, many of whom had not previously been represented in strategic health and care spaces.
Features of the programme
Delivered over six half-day workshops between March and July 2025, the programme combined learning, reflection and action. Sessions focused on:
- Understanding complexity and systems leadership;
- Building trust and influence without positional power;
- Developing shared purpose and agreed behaviours; and
- Applying learning to live, “gnarly” challenges across BNSSG.
Workshops were interactive and creative, blending new ideas with practical tools such as empathy mapping, adaptive leadership and systems thinking. Face-to-face delivery proved crucial for building relationships, and each session created space for honest conversations, reflection and connection.
What impact did the programme have?
Feedback from Ambassadors showed striking results:
- Confidence in systems leadership increased by 56%;
- Confidence in communicating systems approaches rose by 60%;
- A sense of belonging to a peer support network increased by 60%.
Participants described the experience as “inspiring, empowering and transformative”, with one saying, “I feel like I’m part of something powerful – this has given me the tools and confidence to make real change.”
Practical outcomes included:
- A shared purpose statement and Alliance behaviours;
- Agreed priorities and tailored advocacy messages;
- Stronger collaboration across organisations;
- Greater representation of grassroots voices in ICS and neighbourhood-level decision-making.
Ambassadors now sit on key strategic groups, from cardiovascular health and healthy weight steering groups to the new Bristol NHS Group’s Community Participation Group, directly shaping policy and practice.
Legacy and next steps
The programme has established a confident, diverse and connected network of VCSE Ambassadors now influencing strategy across BNSSG and beyond. Its success has secured further ICB funding through March 2026 and strengthened the Alliance’s long-term sustainability.
As one NHS partner reflected, “The combination of sector-wide advocacy and personal, community-level connections is a real strength of the Alliance. This is exactly how we should be working.”
The BNSSG VCSE Alliance continues to build on this foundation, developing leaders who can speak for their communities, shape the system, and drive change for better health and wellbeing across the region.