Richmond Group of Charities Information

The Richmond Group of Charities is a coalition of 14 of the leading health and social care organisations in the voluntary sector. We work together as a collective voice to better influence health and social care policy and practice, with the aim of improving the care and support for the 15 million people living with long term conditions we represent. We are passionate about bringing the patient and user voice into the very heart of health decision-making and to encourage and facilitate the kind of transformational change which will most improve outcomes and experience for people. We aim to champion the cause of improved outcomes and better use of health and care resources through person-centred, high-quality care. We have unique insights into how people with a range of different long term conditions live their lives and experience their care, and have the knowledge and commitment to help improve the quality of care for all. We work directly with patients, carers and families affected by long term conditions and seek to clearly draw on their experiences in all we do. We also have direct expertise in both influencing and service delivery. So we can support - through both services and influencing activities- transformational change which focuses on improved patient outcomes and experience. We aim to be a close collaboration, based on long standing and strong relationships between people at all levels in the twelve member organisations, but we also work with other, external partners where this gives us greater impact. We are a critical friend of the health and care system, taking the side of users and patients, but keen to support and accelerate the development of evidence based, sustainable and innovative solutions to the many challenges facing health and care today. We are here to help. £7 in every £10 spent on health and social care is spent on managing long term conditions. Long term conditions account for half of all GP appointments and 70% of hospital bed days.