For ACHA to make a difference to the lives of local people, the views and needs of everyone across our diverse community must be at the heart of shaping what we do: our research, our education programmes and most importantly, influencing the design and delivery of health and care services to improve the ways in which people can grow older.
Why Community Engagement Matters
Community engagement means involving local residents (and representatives of local groups and organisations who know what matters to them) in guiding our work. It is important because we want to create research that reflects the experiences and needs of the people it aims to benefit. So community engagement helps us make sure that what we do makes sense and is of value to the people that live here.
At ACHA we believe that to make sure this is meaningful, it is our duty to let the community know how we have (or will) put their feedback into action, and to share our learning. So engagement to us is an ongoing process, a bit like a conversation, with lots of opportunity to contribute your views and ideas.
We recognise that there is a huge amount of expertise within our growing network of local residents, partner organisations and community groups and we know that our work will be much more useful and effective if that knowledge shapes what we do. We are therefore are committed to finding ways to ensure that everyone can get involved, no matter the barriers they might face. For example, how much free time they have or their ability to travel.
To do this we are:
- Expanding our Community Advisory Group (CAG), which meets every 2 months to provide advice and influences decision-making within ACHA, to be more diverse and representative of the local population.
- Building a Community Advisory Network, with regular local events aimed at creating more and varied ways to involve and engage our diverse population, and giving something back.
- Connecting to the groups and networks that are already out there to support their work, reach diverse audiences and have meaningful discussions about what matters to people from different cultures and backgrounds in supporting their health and wellbeing. This is especially important when thinking about the main factors that influence good health, such as ethnicity and unstable housing or employment.
- Developing a Reward and Recognition Policy that acknowledges the contribution of community members to our work in a variety of ways, including payment for involvement
In March and April this year, we held public workshops, known as ‘sandpits’ in the academic world, which brought together community members, the voluntary sector, frontline staff and academics to co-produce our research agenda. This means people sharing views and ideas to help inform the research priorities that will drive change and improve people’s experiences of healthy ageing locally. The feedback received at these events was applied to ACHA’s Year 1 Strategy, which was finalised in May. Watch our video to find out more.
Our PPIE Principles: These have been developed with input from community representatives and our partner organisations. We welcome any feedback.
We understand the importance of listening to the voices of our diverse communities, to give lived experience a platform to improve care and to support people to age well.
We will prioritise connecting to communities where they are and where they feel safe and engage in meaningful discussions with clear aims, actions and next steps.
We will ensure we are as inclusive as possible in our practice, respecting the diverse abilities, values and cultures of our local population.
We will avoid duplication, combine local resources and respect the time and effort of our local partners.
We intend to focus our research on the priorities of the local community via true and meaningful co-production, influencing decision-making directly with the voices of local communities.
We will offer training and resource, make contributions and convey recognition for the time and input our participants offer ACHA.
Our activities will be approached with honesty and transparency, ensuring there is feedback and consistent communication.
For further information, or to get in touch, kindly email bartshealth.acha@nhs.net. We’d love to hear from you.
