Community Connectors show ICB Chair Dr Kathy McLean impact of voluntary sector on underserved communities
Community Connectors working with Community One and the Pakistan Community Centre met with Dr Kathy McLean, chair of the Integrated Care Board for Derby and Derbyshire, to show the positive impact of the voluntary sector on the health of underserved communities.
Dr McLean first took a walking tour of two of the most deprived areas in the city – Normanton and Arboretum – to see the wide range of challenges faced by local communities. She was shown around by Amjad Ashraf, who co-chairs the Derby Health Inequalities Partnership (DHIP) and Ejaz Sarwar who works for Community Action Derby.
DHIP is a co-led, joint initiative between Derby City Council and Community Action Derby, working together with community organisations and leaders to help achieve better health outcomes in the city. Community Action Derby is a charity providing support and guidance for voluntary and community groups.
Dr McLean is attending a series of visits to ensure community work is understood by the Integrated Care Board and factored into commissioning decision-making.
She said: “I am very grateful to everyone who took the time to show me around and explain their work, it was fascinating.
“Only by seeing firsthand the community and listening to people can I begin to fully understand the serious challenges, inequalities and deprivation these communities are dealing with. It’s crucial that we have and can use this local information to influence our decision-making. What also emerged very strongly was the importance of trusted community voices to effect change rather than people remotely making decisions without true engagement.
“It was inspiring to see such a strong sense of community, people truly supporting each other to stay connected and healthy.”
Amjad Ashraf, from Community One and Community Action Derby, said: “It was great to have a visit from Kathy and get the time to describe the work that we do, improving people’s health, supporting them with the wider determinants of their health such as housing, lifestyle and parenting skills, and building aspiration and resilience in different ways.
“We want decision makers at the centre to truly understand the complexities our communities face and think about the practical barriers that might need to be overcome first. This means engaging directly with people, listening to their experiences, and recognising the barriers, whether that is mistrust with corporate organisations or the shame and stigma around certain topics. You can’t deliver information from the outside and expect it to be understood. Change comes from listening, understanding, and connecting.
“Community Action Derby has connections into more than 700 voluntary sector groups who know and understand their communities. We have a high success rate and know our impact is trusted and can be sustainable.”
Ejaz Sarwar, deputy CEO at Community Action Derby, said: “When the ICB is commissioning services we want them to think carefully about the voluntary sector and the huge impact we can have with cost-effective solutions which will work and remain. We often receive short term funding for projects which we can set up and start to make progress. However, this sometimes creates a demand which then needs to be met and if it’s removed and can’t be met, erodes trust.
“We aim to build capacity within the heart of our communities, and to do that, we need organisations like the NHS to truly work in partnership with us.”
Kathy also met with a local Imam as well as Community Connectors who help to bring key health messages and provide vital support for their communities where they are trusted voices.
They told her about some of the projects they have based within the Pakistan Community Centre, which include D23 Active getting women from disadvantaged communities into exercise, rolling out blood pressure checks and helping young people develop their aspirations, confidence and mental health through the Empower Her Youth Academy.
The D23 Active programme started with just five women and now helps 1,085, 75% of whom are women.
Amani Latif, a Strategic Connector who works with women’s groups at the centre, said: “We provide a safe space for young girls from South Asian communities to come if they want to, for example, improve their mental health. We also help to increase general confidence for Muslim women as well.
“It’s so important for women and young girls in our community to have a safe space to turn to. Many don’t realise that what they’re feeling isn’t just part of everyday life—they may be experiencing mental health challenges, and we’re here to help them through it.”
The Pakistan Community Centre hosts a wide range of activities for different communities. It has been recently refurbished with plans for a new gymnasium with changing room facilities including a sauna, a new kitchen, meeting room, disabled access and stage.