Faith in Action: Healthwatch Barking and Dagenham Celebrated Nationally for Empowering Communities and Driving Social Care Change!
The team at Healthwatch Barking and Dagenham has been highly commended at a Healthwatch England award ceremony for their work in improving the care of local people from minority ethnic communities. The Healthwatch Impact Awards recognise outstanding examples of people sharing their experiences to improve care for their community.
This achievement was made possible through the invaluable support of faith organisations in the borough, including different Mosques and a Gurdwara, who played a key role in facilitating data gathering and granting Healthwatch access to members of these communities. Their collaboration ensured that a broad range of voices were heard, helping to shape meaningful improvements in local care services.
Up against 17 other shortlisted projects from across England, Healthwatch Barking and Dagenham received specific praise for their work to improve the social care offer for South Asian residents, being highly commended by the judging panel.
Faith is crucial in social care because religious beliefs and practices significantly shape individuals’ values, routines, and support preferences. For the South Asian community in Barking and Dagenham, for example, religion influences dietary needs, personal care preferences, and gender-specific care requirements. Faith groups often act as trusted spaces where individuals seek advice and support, making them essential partners in building trust with social care services. Recognising and respecting these religious and cultural nuances can improve communication, reduce stigma, and ensure care is delivered in a way that aligns with people’s values and traditions, ultimately improving engagement and outcomes.
Following the Healthwatch report, the Safeguarding Adults Board worked to improve engagement with the South Asian community by building relationships with faith leaders and visiting local places of worship. Steps were also taken to improve access to social care information, including adding clearer translation options to the council website and creating Urdu and Bengali leaflets. Insights from the report influenced service design, particularly for homecare and direct payments, and informed a new Learning Disability and Autism Strategy. These efforts have had a positive impact: safeguarding awareness among Asian residents improved significantly, more people now find social care information easier to access, and culturally appropriate care is being successfully delivered where needed.
Commenting on the news, Manisha Modhvadia, manager of Healthwatch Barking and Dagenham, said:
“The team are obviously chuffed but ultimately this award belongs to everyone in Barking and Dagenham who got involved in our project to improve social care for the South Asian community.”
“I hope this encourages more people in Barking and Dagenham to come forward to share their experiences of health and social care. This project shows what’s possible when the members of the community from different ethnic backgrounds speak up and health and care services listen.”
Praising the team at Healthwatch Barking and Dagenham, Chief Executive of Healthwatch England, Louise Ansari, said:
“Every year, we are consistently impressed by the quality of entries for our Impact Award, and this year is no different.
“However, this project really stood out because it shows exactly why listening to local people and acting on their views is key to helping unlock better health and social care services. Congratulations to everyone involved.”
To read more about the annual Healthwatch Impact Awards, visit: Impact award: Outstanding work leads to first-ever joint win | Healthwatch
There are Healthwatchs based in all local authority areas in England. Why not get in touch with them and see if you can input the voice of faith into any of their projects? You can find details of your local Healthwatch on Healthwatch England’s website.
