Addressing health inequalities through engagement with people and communities

Summary

Equipping staff with skills to engage inclusively and equitably, addressing health inequalities through culturally competent, community-centred approaches.

Link to health inequalities

It is essential to have trained, resourced staff with the capacity to support work with people and communities experiencing health and care inequalities. This supports engagement efforts that have the potential to address complex issues, build trust and foster inclusive participation to be successful.

Activities, skills and resources

Emerging

• Identify and confirm at least one board-level leader who actively advocates for engagement as part of health equity efforts.
• Assess if current staffing levels allow practitioners to engage meaningfully with communities without overloading their workload.
• Ensure engagement practitioners have allocated time in their schedules specifically for working directly with people and communities.
• Provide foundational training for engagement practitioners on effectively working with diverse communities, covering essential topics relevant to health inequalities.
• Ensure practitioners are aware of the key health inequality issues and drivers specific to their ICS area.

Developing

• Facilitate regular communication between engagement practitioners and other ICS staff to foster cross-functional collaboration.
• Develop clear processes and defined roles for ICS staff to support community engagement activities effectively.
• Create shared resources, such as toolkits or communication guides, to support consistent engagement practices across departments.
• Train engagement practitioners and ICS staff in effective cross-functional collaboration and active listening skills.
• Identify and define initial roles for individuals with lived experience, even if only in a limited capacity, and outline clear responsibilities and expectations in collaboration with community members.

Maturing

• Develop or implement a standardised training programme on best practices in community engagement, making it a requirement for all ICS staff.
• Include topics such as effective communication, cultural sensitivity, and trauma-informed approaches in engagement training.
• Establish lived experience peer roles as a standard practice across the ICS, with clear job descriptions, responsibilities, and fair compensation.

Thriving

• Provide comprehensive cultural competency training for all ICS staff, focusing on understanding diverse backgrounds, traditions, and community experiences.
• Offer ongoing support, such as workshops or mentorship, to help staff consistently apply cultural competency in their interactions.
• Establish frameworks for shared decision-making, where lived experience peers have an equal voice in planning, analysing, and implementing engagement activities.
• Formalise processes for co-designing and co-delivering projects, with clearly defined roles and responsibilities for peers alongside ICS staff.