Quality 4 Health + Wellbeing was developed by a team of experts from within the Voluntary, Community and Enterprise Sector in West Yorkshire in partnership with health commissioning body Calderdale Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG).
As the not-for-profit sector has developed, the number of groups and organisations providing health and wellbeing services has grown dramatically, as has the range of services offered. With the growth of social prescribing across the UK, Quality 4 Health + Wellbeing was developed as a means to demonstrate the high standards of the Voluntary and Community Sector and the services they offer to the general public and those who act as referrers under a social prescribing model.
Q4H+W has rapidly been recognised as an industry standard accreditation for those providing health and wellbeing services. In 2019, The Carers Trust, one of the UKs largest charities for carers, recognised QFH+W as one of their required external quality marks.
With two decades of experience of supporting the not-for-profit sector, we have developed a thorough and all-encompassing standard that can be tailored to your organisation, no matter its size or the nature of the health and wellbeing services being delivered.
The NHS Long Term Plan (2019) promotes an integrated approach to health and wellbeing with the voluntary and community sector playing a vital role in delivering services. Partnership working across sectors and the establishment of social prescribing will be successful where there is confidence in the safety and effectiveness of each sector and partner/provider.
At Quality 4 Health +Wellbeing, we know that the Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) sector has significant positive impact on local communities and the potential for growth in the delivery of health and wellbeing provision by the sector in our view is substantial; this accreditation is a way of showcasing the effectiveness of VCSE provision. Having worked with numerous organisations in this sector, we understand the great work being done, and Quality 4 Health + Wellbeing is the best way of receiving external confirmation that your organisation is maintaining the highest standards and looking to continually improve them.
Referrers like GPs and social prescribers, commissioners and funders need to be assured that they are making safe referrals and that their patients are going to receive the best service. When you visit a Doctor or a pharmacist, you put trust in them to provide safe, high quality care. You have confidence in any advice they offer or medicine they prescribe. Quality 4 Health + Wellbeing provides this assurance for VCSE providers; a quality accreditation that gives GPs and Social Prescribers trust and confidence in any organisation or group their patients may be referred to. Having the Quality 4 Health + Wellbeing accreditation demonstrates to all that you provide an excellent standard of care in your service delivery.
Working with local public sector commissioners Quality 4 Health +Wellbeing tailors funded packages, as part of strategic investment in promoting delivery of services through VCSE organisations, providing a framework of support and capacity building. A fully enabled and supported VCSE through the Quality 4 Health + Wellbeing accreditation allows local funders and commissioners more confidence around commissioning and referrals, assured that high quality standards are paramount throughout the organisations delivering services.
