Creating inclusive services: How community organisations help tackle acute health inequalities
With the support of the NHS England Health Inequalities Improvement Team, ‘Creating inclusive services: How community organisations help tackle acute health inequalities‘ explores the role of community organisations in creating inclusive and culturally competent services which meet the needs of marginalised groups locally and help to tackle health inequalities.
The research shows the valuable contribution of community organisations and the wider VCSE sector in this area. They play an important role in creating inclusive services which are accessible to, appropriate for and available in their local communities. They do this in four particular ways:
- Service design and adaptation
- Holistic service provision
- Giving voice and advocating for marginalised groups
- Providing information and gathering insights about their communities.
However, in carrying out these roles, community organisations face significant challenges in the following areas:
- Information and awareness
- Structural and systemic barriers
- Funding and capacity
- Accessibility and language
- Trust
- Leadership and culture
There were 10 recommendations implemented across these areas for local and national health systems and the VCSE sector.
The report is accompanied by a set of five case studies highlighting how community organisations, local authorities and the NHS can and are working together to provide services which are inclusive and accessible for the communities they serve
You can find both the full report and summary document here.
If you’d like to discuss this work in more detail, please email [email protected].
