Terms of Reference for the York Mental Health Partnership

A. Vision and purpose of the mental health partnership

1. The overarching strategic vision for health and wellbeing in York is set out in the joint health and wellbeing strategy 2017-2022; its accompanying supplementary document and the all age mental health strategy 2018-2023.

2. The joint health and wellbeing strategy has four priorities one of which is mental health. The all age mental health strategy expands and augments this priority.

3. The mental health partnership will translate the strategic vision within the mental health strategy into action; bringing partners together to focus on its delivery.

4. The partnership will work to achieve positive change in the area of mental health and build a shared approach to delivering against the priorities in the mental health strategy and its associated action plan(s).

B. The role of the mental health partnership

5. The mental health partnership is accountable to the York Health and Wellbeing Board for delivering against the priorities in both the joint health and wellbeing strategy 2017-2022 and the mental health strategy 2018-2023

6. To ensure that partners work together in relation to mental health on behalf of the whole health and social care system; acknowledging that some organisations work across multiple boundaries

7. To drive improvement in the area of mental health

8. To provide assurance to the Health and Wellbeing Board that the mental health strategy is being delivered

9. To provide an annual progress update on its activities for the Health and Wellbeing Board

10. To lead on and report back on any other work in the area of mental health that the Health and Wellbeing Board requests

11. To lead on the refresh and/or renewal of the mental health strategy 2018-2023 as it nears its end

C. Membership of the Board

12. Partnership members will be required to represent their organisation with sufficient seniority and influence to take forward the vision and agenda of the partnership

13. The core membership of the Board will consist of:

	Organisation	Position
1	Independent	Chair
2	NHS Vale of York Clinical Commissioning Group	Head of Mental Health Partnerships
3	City of York Council	Assistant Director Adult Social Care
4	City of York Council	Commissioning Manager
5	City of York Council	Public Health Specialist Practitioner Advanced
6	City of York Council	Assistant Director Children’s Specialist Services (to act as the link on children’s mental health and transitions)
7	York Council for Voluntary Service	Officer Representative
8	York MIND	Chief Executive
9	Community Representative	Service Manager from Mainstay
10	Healthwatch York	Healthwatch Manager
11	Higher York	Head of Open Door and Disability
12	Office of the Police, Fire & Crime Commissioner	Commissioning and Partnerships Manager
13	Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust	Project Lead for ‘Right Care, Right Place’
14	Humber Coast and Vale Integrated Care Partnership	Clinical Lead for Mental Health and Chair of Community Mental Health Transformation Steering Group
15	Humber Coast and Vale Integrated Care Partnership	Transformation Programme Director, Mental Health
16	North Yorkshire Police	Strategic Lead for Mental Health
17	York Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust	Chief Nurse
18	Carer Representative	Carer
19	Independent/Private Sector	Represented by The Retreat’s Director of Services
20	Multiple Complex Needs Network	Systems Change Lead
21	York Advocacy Service	Head of Client Services
22	Converge	Director of Converge

14. Membership of the partnership will be reviewed periodically and can be amended at any stage with the agreement of existing members. Partner organisations may substitute for their named representative with the prior agreement of the Chair.

15. In addition to the core membership set out above a flexible approach will be taken to enable additional people to be invited to join the board for specific discussions and work streams.

16. All partnership members will have equal status.

17. Partnership members will be expected to individually  lead on specific work streams to ensure delivery of the mental health strategy

D. Chair and Vice Chair

18. The partnership will have an independent chair and the vice-chair will be the assistant director for adult social care at City of York Council.

19. The Independent Chair of the partnership’s term of office will initially be for 3 years with the possibility of extending this if all partnership members are in agreement

20. The Chair is responsible for determining the forward plan and agenda items (with assistance from the lead officer), ensuring the efficient running of the meeting, maintaining focus and facilitating and enabling participation of all those present and ensuring that confidential items are handled accordingly.

21. The Chair is responsible for direct liaison with the chair of the Health and Wellbeing Board; keeping them up to date in relation to the partnership’s work and progress against the delivery of the mental health strategy and the mental health priority within the joint health and wellbeing strategy.

E. Leaving the partnership

22. A person shall cease to be a member of the partnership if s/he resigns or the relevant partner agency notifies the Chair of the removal or change of representative. 

F. Lead Officer

23. The Lead Officer will assist the Chair and Vice Chair in determining the forward plan, prioritising, scheduling and coordinating agenda items.  They are responsible for ensuring that appropriate reports, presentations and attendees are available for items tabled and act as a contact point for enquiries.

G. Other support for the Board

24. The Council and Vale of York Clinical Commissioning Group will ensure that the Board receives the necessary support to enable the Board to discharge its responsibilities effectively. This will include financial and legal advice and specific support to monitor and review performance.

H. Interests of Board members

25. Partnership members must declare any personal or organisational interest in connection with the work of the partnership. Where there is a potential conflict of interest for individual members, this should be openly and explicitly declared. At the Chair’s discretion the partnership member may be excluded from the discussion and / or decision making related to that particular agenda item.  

I. Meetings

26. The partnership will normally meet on a quarterly basis. The partnership will be quorate when at least five members, including at least one representative from City of York Council or Vale of York Clinical Commissioning Group, and from two other partners, are present. If the meeting is not quorate it may proceed at the discretion of the Chair but may not take any decisions that would require a vote.

27. Where possible the partnership will meet virtually to allow for maximum attendance.

J. What the partnership doesn’t do

28. The Board is not directly responsible for managing and running services but it does consider the quality and impact of service delivery across partner organisations. It does not have direct responsibility for budgets.

K. Involving people in the work of the partnership

29. The partnership expects that the views and involvement of local people will influence its work and its sub groups at all stages.

30. The partnership is committed to working in a co-productive and multi-agency way across the statutory and voluntary sector and with local residents.

31. The partnership will use flexible sub groups and task and finish groups to drive work streams forward. This will allow them to maximise the number and variety of organisations and individuals it can involve in its work.

32. Sub groups will report back to the partnership on a regular basis.

33. The partnership will build on interrelationships with other groups that sit within the health and social care system.

34. The Partnership will regular review the sub-groups and task and finish groups reporting to it along with those

L. Accountability and reporting

35. The mental health partnership is formally accountable to the Health and Wellbeing Board.

M. Culture and values: how the Board exercises its responsibilities and functions

36. The partnership will take into account the following behaviours and values in exercising its functions. Members will:

37. Participate on the basis of mutual trust and openness, respecting and maintaining confidentiality as appropriate;

38. Work collaboratively, ensuring clear lines of accountability and communication;

39. Share expertise and intelligence and use this synergy to provide creative solutions to complex issues;

40. Take account of any particular challenges, policies and guidance faced by individual partners;

41. Have regard to the policies and guidance which apply to each of the individual partners;

42. Adhere to and develop their work based on the vision and priorities within the mental health strategy 2018-2023

43. Where decisions of the partnership require ratification by other bodies the relevant partnership member shall seek such ratification in advance of any meeting of the partnership or promptly following the partnership’s recommendations;

These terms of reference will be reviewed annually.

These terms of reference were last updated in December 2020.