Black & Ethnic Minority Community Care Forum
Involving Communities in Health
Improving Health in Newham, Involving Communities in Decision-Making
Valuing the Knowledge and Experience of Local People
Local health services benefit by tapping into the wealth of knowledge and experience that community and voluntary organisations can offer. Many health bodies in Newham have recognised this and have sought the involvement of community and voluntary representatives in their decision-making.
There has never been a more important time for voluntary and community groups to influence the way decisions are made. Health & social care issues are priorities in plans for Newham's regeneration. We need capable, accountable and properly supported representatives to make sure that our invaluable experience and skills are effectively presented and shared.
However, representatives from groups outside of the NHS have received little support to fulfil their role and it is extremely difficult for them to consult groups like themselves or seek a mandate for their decisions. Involving Communities in Health has therefore been set up to provide training, information and support so that representatives from the voluntary and community sectors are more effective in their role.
What Involving Communities in Health Can Do:
Our aims are four-fold:
- To ensure that community and voluntary representatives are well-informed and knowledgeable about the procedures and policies relevant to the body they serve on and about the way that meetings are conducted.
- To increase awareness within the community and voluntary sectors about the ways that decisions on health issues are made locally. We are producing a quarterly newsletter, Health Voice that will be sent to over 500 organisations in Newham.
- To encourage representatives to take greater responsibility for consulting with and providing feedback to groups where decisions may have an impact on their work.
- To provide training and support to officers within the NHS on how to engage with and encourage the participation of voluntary and community representatives in decision-making.
If you have any queries regarding this project, please contact:
Syed Shahriar Training & Development Officer
Tel: 020 7473 9513
Email:
Keya Gari Information Officer
Tel: 020 7473 9514
Email: