Gateshead Healthy Communities Collaborative 6 Healthy years together

What is it? 8 teams in Gateshead Membership is important H ealth - GP practice staff, health visitors, community nutritional assistants cancer screening staff, |Community matrons Local authority – neighbourhood management, housing wardens, community centre workers, Librarians v oluntary sector eg Age Concern, Alzheimer's society Local residents “not the usual suspects”

History Started as a pilot project funded by DH Managed by the NPDT (now Improvement Foundation) 2002 Falls prevention older people 2004 Improving access to a healthy and affordable diet 2007 Promoting the earlier detection of breast, bowel and lung cancers 5 teams expanded to 8 in 2005 Now locally financed £30, /9

Collaborative Methodology Reference panel Orientation to recruit teams and importance to local health Learning workshops and action periods Identify local issues – use P lan Do Study Act (PDSA) methodology to bring about improvements Share learning

What’s easy Great mix of people – different work Keeping team members Understanding need and identifying local issues Inter-agency working at a community level. Everyone know someone who can help Sustainability – written PDSAs provide evidence ►further funding & learning culture People living in a area have long memories

Challenges Who are lay people? Getting health professionals involved Language Bureaucracy Organisational management – priorities and pressures Managing expectations – of team members - funders Evaluation – evidence for what works

What it needs to make it work OK to fail- small scale testing Ideas from the team Established and agreed way of working Coming together to share learning Gives people confidence- work recognised by others Good steering group - people who can make things happen Lay understanding and explanations Able to get to people not accessing services Involve people from the beginning not just consultation Recognition

How can the government support this work More HCCs effective format Lay involvement (not consultation) a “must do” Ensure funding for community groups Inclusion in training of health professionals Show and tell to give people ideas.

Examples I Superman play Vegetable of the month Fruit in Childrens’ Centres Lunch clubs older people & parents/toddlers linked to food co-op deliveries Drama groups – healthy eating and safe drinking Local events

Examples II Environmental issues Building links across communities consultation Its not just the message its how its delivered