Working Together to Build Public Health Capacity and Capability

The Cheshire and Merseyside Healthy Providers Network (C&M HP network) is a voluntary, professional, peer support network formed in the summer of 2012 that aims to provide a unified approach to health improvement across Cheshire & Merseyside (C&M). The network currently meets on a bi-monthly basis and is keen to establish an online forum as well. Its purpose is quite simply to provide a collaborative forum for acute and provider trusts to work together on the common theme of improving health and reducing health inequalities.Network membership is comprised of staff with senior organisational responsibility and accountability for health improvement initiatives, both at individual and organisational level, typically represented by assistant directors of nursing and health improvement managers. The network has support from the directors of public health and Board level support from all participating organisations. Senior management support is provided by Liverpool Community Health Trust via a consultant level (public health) chairing role. Strategic support is provided by Liverpool Community Health and Alder Hey Hospital but operationally it works on a distributed leadership model, with all participating organisations actively leading on specific work streams.