Community Powered Edmonton
Listening to the people of Edmonton
Healthwatch Enfield, a service we currently deliver, was recently funded by the NCL Integrated Care Board to understand what would make a positive difference to the lives of both local residents and staff.
Project status: completed, June - September 2022
In partnership with
The challenge
To understand what matters to the local communities so that local public service providers can listen to ideas, and take action by co-designing changes.
What we did
Over the course of three months, the partners engaged with more than 150 people through workshops, creative activities, focus groups, and open access.
Results
From our many discussions, we found the main issues affecting those living in the Edmonton area were safety, poverty, social isolation, and mental health. Findings have been published in full in our report.
THE CHALLENGE
Strengthen local VSC infrastructure by addressing current gaps in representation
Understand local needs and the barriers different communities face when accessing local healthcare and support services
Explore ways that strengthened communities and VCS network can work alongside statutory agencies to share insights and engage in local decision making
Identify how the local NHS and council could further collaborate with strengthened communities and VCS networks to improve health outcomes and changes needed. This considered the systemic changes required of local public service organisations to enable a more community powered approach to become embedded.
WHO WE LISTENED TO
Sessions included representatives from:
Enfield Council: From frontline staff and service leads to the Director of Public Health, elected members and the deputy leader of Enfield Council.
The NHS: Frontline staff, officers and senior managers from the North Central London Integrated Care Board (NCL ICB), primary care clinicians, and staff from local NHS Trusts including North Middlesex University Hospital and Barnet, Enfield and Haringey Mental Health Trust.
The voluntary sector: volunteers, service users and staff from a range of local community organisations including Enfield Carers Centre, the RNIB, Enfield Citizens Advice Bureau, Voice of Jubilee Park, Caribbean and African Health Network.
Local residents: a wide range of local people from Edmonton were invited, encouraged and supported to attend and participate in the sessions. These included people from several different local communities, young people, people with disabilities, and people representing mental health service users.
OUR APPROACH
Our partners engaged with more than 150 people through workshops, creative activities, focus groups and open access sessions.
Discussions were led around three key areas:
Living a healthy life in Edmonton
Talking and listening to improve health and wellbeing
Taking action to address health inequalities
REPORTING
From our many discussions, we found the main issues affecting those living in the Edmonton area were safety, poverty, mental health, language barriers, cultural difference and lack of knowledge, Digital exclusion, and trust.