Person pushing a patient in a wheelchair as part of the Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise sector

Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE)

The VCSE sector is an important partner for statutory health and social care organisations and plays a key role in improving health and care outcomes for its communities, not only by delivering services but also by shaping their design and advocating for, representing and amplifying the voice of service users, patients and carers.

Humber and North Yorkshire VCSE Collaborative

The Humber and North Yorkshire Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) Collaborative represents the wider VCSE sector and comprises of Place Leads from VCSE sector infrastructure organisations, the NHS, and the VCSE Collaborative staff team.

The VCSE Collaborative sits within the governance of Humber and North Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership and is equal to the other Collaboratives of Mental Health, Primary Care, Acute and Community. Find out more about our work below and in our introductory video.

News and Updates

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We need your support to map the size and scale of Humber and North Yorkshire’s Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) sector’s workforce. The data your organisation provides will be collated to create an in-depth picture of our sector. This will feed into the planning of future investment and resource allocation into the sector for the delivery of health and care services across our communities.

Complete the survey here.

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Conference: Children and Young People’s Trauma Informed Care Programme

Thursday 3 April 2025, 9:30am-3:30pm, MKM Stadium, Hull.

VCSE organisations are invited to attend the second annual Children & Young People’s Trauma Informed Care Programme Conference taking place in April.

20 January 2025

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Webinar: Staying well this winter – Thursday 30 January 2025, 12:30-1:30pm

Winter brings unique challenges to health and wellbeing, but preparation makes all the difference! Join us for an informative session on staying well this winter and explore key topics including the importance of seasonal vaccinations and a directory of services.

15 January 2025

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Lead for social prescribing recognised in the New Year Honours list

Alison Semmence, Chief Executive at York CVS and Deputy Chair of the Humber and North Yorkshire VCSE Collaborative, has been awarded a British Empire Medal (BEM) for her contribution to the Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) sector, and specifically to Social Prescribing.

13 January 2025

Training and Events

Winter brings unique challenges to health and wellbeing, but preparation makes all the difference! Join us for an informative session on staying well this winter and explore key topics including the importance of seasonal vaccinations and a directory of services.

Book your place here

Focuses on what menopause is, why and when it happens and ways of managing menopause, participants will also gain confidence in having supportive conversations around menopause and how to get the right support together including the important role a partner, team or family member can play in supporting someone through menopause. 

Book your place here

Gary Sainty, Head of VCSE will be speaking at the Navsm Annual Seminar in February 2025, focusing on ‘connecting the VCSE and ICB’. For more information and to find out more about the conference, please email: treasurer@navsm.co.uk

Join second Humber and North Yorkshire Children and Young People’s Trauma Informed Care Programme Conference. This conference will be of interest to those professionals who can initiate system change at an operational and strategic level, and those working within systems to support young people who have or may have experienced trauma.

Book your place here

Online delivery, various dates available

The course is for anyone who has opportunities to chat to others about issues that affect their health and wellbeing.

The session aims to build confidence, knowledge and skills required to MECC and to provide participants with resources specific to supporting people to take better care of their health and wellbeing.

Find out more

View full training programme

Useful Links

Inclusive Language GuidanceThis document has been co-developed in partnership with a diverse group of colleagues to improve confidence around using inclusive language.

Gain new qualifications through the HNY Learning Hub – Opportunity for VCSE sector staff and volunteers… Humber and North Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership has partnered with DN Colleges Group to create a learning hub with fully funded courses relevant to both clinical and non-clinical job roles, at academic levels 1, 2 and 3.


Humber and North Yorkshire VCSE Collaborative

Our People

VCSE Collaborative Staff Team: 

Gary Sainty - Head of VCSE

Penny Butcher - VCSE Programme Manager

Beckie Deamer-Brooke - VCSE Business Support Officer

Anna Boad - VCSE Collaborative Communications Lead


VCSE Collaborative Place Leads and NHS Representatives:

Jason Stamp - (Chair) Chief Officer, Forum

Alison Semmence - (Vice Chair) Chief Executive, York CVS

Jane Colthup - Chief Executive, Community First Yorkshire

Jamie Lewis - Chief Executive, Hey Smile Foundation

Jennifer Jonhson - Delivery Manager, Sector Support North East Lincolnshire Partnership

Lucy Stephenson - Joint Chief Executive, Citizens Advice North Lincolnshire

Debra Taylor - Joint Chief Executive, Citizens Advice North Lincolnshire

Sam Haward - Head of Community Services, North Yorkshire Place

Toni Yel - Assistant Director, Community Integration and Transformation 
Meet the VCSE Collaborative Staff Team

Our Plan

Our plan is to enable the potential and impact of the VCSE sector to be realised by being fully integrated into the planning, design and delivery of health and care across Humber and North Yorkshire; cementing the sector’s role as a key strategic partner.

The importance of the VCSE sector in the planning and delivery of health and care is highlighted throughout the NHS Long Term Plan.

Our Programmes of Work

  • Community Transport
  • Hospital Discharge
  • Social Prescribing
  • Volunteering
  • Research Engagement Network (REN)

Our Events

We are busy planning our next event – come back soon to find out more.


Featured Programmes

To view all of our programmes click here.

We want to create more efficient hospital-based services for people who need them, making the best use of the resources and workforce across our system to plan and deliver hospital care.

We want to help more people to survive cancer and support people in our region to live well with and beyond cancer.

We aim to ensure that people in our region are able to access advice, care and support in an urgent or emergency situation.

Working together to improve elective (planned) care locally is a key priority for the Humber and North Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership.

We want to create more efficient hospital-based services for people who need them, making the best use of the resources and workforce across our system to plan and deliver hospital care.

Climate change poses the most significant long-term threat to our health, not to mention our planet. The Greener NHS programme will work with staff, hospitals and our partners.