Optimising how we work with communities to tackle inequalities: Learning from the ‘Community Voices: Conversations for Change’ initiative

The impact on COVID-19 on BAME communities was disappointing but not shocking. Those of us working in health and care delivery or research, or with our local communities can see inequalities have increased, with the 2020 Marmot review¹ confirming this.

In response, Community Voices aims to hear what matters to people, gathering the stories of our communities, in their own words and through their preferred formats. It aims to change and strengthen the dialogue between our local communities, and health and care organisations, and local authorities. Crucially, it is grounded in an approach that understands the challenges in our local communities, but also realises the solutions to tackle inequalities are also found in these communities.

A collective initiative

NIHR ARC Northwest London became involved in this initiative shortly after the COVID-19 lockdown started in the UK. It saw the potential of this collective of organisations and individuals from local communities, and health and care organisations and local authorities across North West London. The structure of the initiative as a collective of organisations and individuals is a strategic approach taken to make the most of the long-term relationships we have formed with our local communities. This includes by us being part of these communities, and building trust and rich understanding of people’s experiences and lives.

Over the last three months, Community Voices listened to stories of black and minority ethnic (BME) individuals, frontline staff, patients and community activists. There is a sense of urgency that the time is ripe for a different conversation on race, racism and the wider inequality, sparked by Black Lives Matters movement. We listened as GPs, patients, carers and frontline staff shared their raw emotion of loss, their experience of bereavement, and what it was like to work through this difficult and challenging time.

Community Voices

Community Voices is an approach that invites citizens (local residents, community activists, public sector staff, senior leaders) to have honest conversations that transform the way they connect with each other and the system to address systemic inequalities. Community Voices starts with the belief that if the challenges exist in communities then the solutions lie there too and encourages people to find these by moving beyond their community, geographical and organisational boundaries. The approach is rooted in evidence of programmes like community champions and methodologies where connecting with communities on what matters to them demonstrates sustainable and self-sustaining progress.

NIHR ARC Northwest London continue to explore how we establish rigorous and rapid methodologies that facilitate such way of working. Crucially, it aims to evaluate whether these collective models enable meaningful community engagement that can effectively tackle inequalities. Some of us feel our efforts to tackle inequalities have had limited effect. It is therefore now time to explore how we work with our communities more effectively, and how we can place them as crucial designers and deliverers of the necessary solutions.

This piece is based on previous written work and presentations by Meerat Kaur, Samira Ben Omar and Janet Wildman, with support from Cherelle Augustine.

1. Marmot M, Allen J, Boyce T, Goldblatt P, Morrison J. Health Equity in England.; 2020.