Brent Health Matters

The goal of the Brent Health Matters Programme is to reduce health inequalities in Brent.

Health inequalities are avoidable, unfair and systematic differences in health between different groups of people.

Our shared programme will be looking to engage with the community on a number of wide ranging issues to reduce the health inequalities experienced in Brent.

"Our health is shaped by a complex interaction between many factors. These include the quality of health and care services, individual behaviours, the places and communities in which people live and wider determinants such as education, housing and access to green space. Health inequalities arise as a result of systematic variations in these factors across a population."

"Health inequalities are ultimately about differences in the status of people’s health. The term is also commonly used to refer to differences in the care that people receive and the opportunities that they have to lead healthy lives, both of which can contribute to their health status." King Fund

Inequality means that the resources required to create better health outcomes are not evenly distributed.

As such the areas with poorer health outcomes or higher rates of long term health conditions will have more focus than other parts of the borough.

It is only by working with the local people, groups and organisations around Brent and listening to what you have to say that we can improve the overall health of our borough.

You can get involved in Brent Health Matters by becoming a Community Champion or joining us at our next Community Forum Meeting.

A member of our team would be happy to talk to you about how the programme works in more detail. Email us at BrentHealthMatters@brent.gov.uk

The inverse care law

"This is a phenomenon whereby the more disadvantaged a community, the less investment is made in health and social care services. This situation arises and is perpetuated via a circular relationship between low community demand/expectations, lack of community participation in decision-making processes and agency disinvestment." Kings Fund

Short term impacts

• Reduce impacts of Covid-19 on the community.
• Increase uptake of vaccinations and health screening.
• Increase community awareness of existing support/services and improve access to health services.
• Increased engagement with GP Practices including an increase in the number of people registered with a GP.

Long term impacts

• Reduce variation in life expectancy and long term health conditions (diabetes, hypertension, obesity, mental health and cardiovascular disease).
• System wide understanding of the cultural and local reasons why patients do not engage in NHS services, which will inform future planning.
• Actions delivered to address the wider determinants of health, from housing to employment and environment.

The Brent Health Matters (BHM) programme brings together the council, local health services and the community to tackle health inequalities.

Health inequalities are avoidable, unfair and systematic differences in health between different groups of people.

The Community sits at the heart of the BHM programme because only by understanding the needs of our diverse communities can we hope to address them.

Our Community Champions communicate health messages, share information to and from our communities.

As volunteers, the only real requirement is that Community Champions live in Brent and have a desire to play a part in improving health in their community. They may represent a specific group or organisation, but by and large Community Champions will simply reflect their neighbourhoods and provide insight into the health needs of residents who live within them.

Listening and responding to feedback from our communities is central to the way BHM works. Community Champions help co-produce our approach to providing health and care services by giving us an understanding of the issues we face. This is particularly true of communities most ‘at risk’ and those who we have historically struggled to engage.

In return for the essential work Community Champions perform for the programme, BHM will provide access to training and development opportunities, keep Champions up-to-date with the latest fact-checked health information and ensure discretionary expenses are covered.

Community Champions gain valuable experience and are introduced to others who make up the network of neighbours, local businesses, charities, community groups, the council and health services in Brent.

How do I become a Community Champion?

Sign-up using our webform to become a Community Champion and help create better health and care services in your community.

Community Champion Support

Coordinators will have regular one-to-one check-ins with each champion at a frequency that works for both parties

These calls will be a key opportunity for a one-to-one conversation to allow Champions to:

• Share how the programme is working for them
• Share their unique perspectives of them and their community

Community Champions are already making a difference across Brent…

Varsha from Queensbury

Varsha, from Queensbury, decided to become a Community Champion after reading about Brent Health Matters in Your Brent Magazine. Having enjoyed a long career in the NHS as a radiographer, Varsha wanted to give back to her community and has been a familiar face at many Brent Health Matters event.

Because she speaks Gujarati, Hindi and Swahili, Varsha has taken an active role in identifying the health needs of her community and proactively feeding this insight back to the programme.

Ahmed from Willesden

Ahmed became a Community Champion for Willesden in May 2022 and is proud to be making a difference to people’s health and wellbeing, taking an active role in delivering events in his community.

He has been involved in establishing links with the Somali and Syrian communities in particular, helping to address issues of isolation and broach culturally difficult subjects such as mental health.

Ahmed volunteers at the Al Saddiiq cultural centre, offering social support to diverse communities and making sure that their voices reach decision-makers.

Catherine from Alperton

Catherine has lived and worked in Brent since 1973 and is a Pastoral Assistant at St John the Evangelist Church in Alperton.

Now retired, Catherine decided to join the Brent Health Matters programme to meet new people, build relationships in the community and empower residents to improve their health and wellbeing.

Catherine volunteers as a lead for the dementia café where she organises events and entertainment for residents in the community.

Brent Health Matters Community Forums are local community meetings to raise awareness on health inequality problems affecting communities across Brent.

Forums help by connecting residents, community groups, the local council and health services together on certain issues which are disproportionately affecting some groups more than others.

We are hosting a Forum for collaboration and networking between different groups on specific health issues to raise awareness, better understand local concerns and identify opportunities for local people and services to take action on.

Each Forum is based on a health issue or ‘theme’ that is disproportionately affecting the residents and communities across Brent. 

Brent Health Matters Community Forum meeting

Engaging with Brent residents about the Brent Health Matters programme

The date for the next community forum meeting will be on Thursday 28th September 2023 from 4-6pm.

It will take place on Zoom and we will circulate the link nearer to the time. You can now reserve your spot at: Brent Health Matters Community Forum meeting Tickets, Thu 28 Sep 2023 at 16:00 | Eventbrite

Brent Council and local health services are looking at ways to better support the communities in relation to health inequality issues.

The Community Forum is looking to:
1. Hear the voice of the community, so Brent Council and local heath partners can focus resources and take immediate action.
2. Establish a communication link so Brent Council and local health partners can share the most up-to-date information on health inequality issues.

If you are a Brent resident, your voice is important in helping support your community.

Please join us online soon (the joining details will be circulated closer to the time) to find out how we can help, to tell us your experiences and help us shape how we support local residents.

This session will look at how we communicate about the programme and what we might do to engage with residents in other ways.
If you would like more information please contact brenthealthmatters@brent.gov.uk

Why are we doing this now and what do we want to happen?

We want to gather local voices and hear about your ideas, experiences and opinions. We want you to tell us about what information you would like to get that will help you and local communities be healthy. We also want to hear how you would like to receive and share information so that it is accessible and clear.

This is a meeting open to all Brent residents so please forward the Eventbrite link to anyone suitable.

Brent Health Matters is a programme jointly managed by Brent Council, local NHS services and the community.

With the formation of Brent Integrated Care Partnership (Brent ICP) in June 2022, these stakeholders are now working together even more closely to address health inequalities.

Brent Council is responsible for the delivery of social care services, as well as other services that impact on health inequalities such as housing and neighbourhood services.

Brent ICP sits within the North West London Integrated Care System (NWL ICS) alongside health partners including London North West University Healthcare Trust, Central and North West London Trust and Central London Community Healthcare Trust.

Other important stakeholders include Healthwatch Brent and the 51 GP practices in the borough that sit within six Primary Care Networks (PCNs) – see the links below for more information about each of these organisations:

• Brent ICP
• North West London ICS
• Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust
• Central London Community Healthcare NHS Trust
• London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust
• Healthwatch Brent
• Kilburn PCN
• Harness North PCN & Harness South PCN
• West K&W PCN, North K&W PCN & South K&W PCN

Brent Health Matters has been selected to benefit from a new wave of research projects looking at the role that community assets such as parks and galleries can play in improving health outcomes.

The projects are funded as part of the second phase of the £26 million, UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Mobilising Community Assets to Tackle Health Inequalities investment.

Starting in January 2023, the nine-month project will explore and develop a programme around community assets and community participation, and how these can help address health inequalities in Brent.

This multi-year research programme is funded primarily by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) and aims to use existing local resources to create a fairer and healthier society.

The first phase of the programme funded projects which looked at how to scale up small, local approaches to tackle health inequalities.

The second phase is a consortia-building phase, which has funded 16 projects to facilitate cross-partner collaboration, incorporating relevant non-academic partners, including community groups and health system organisations.

These consortia will conduct new research and develop community asset hubs with the aim of coordinating large-scale projects for their communities as part of the final phase of the programme to be launched in 2023.

Researchers will work closely with a range of community partners, some of whom are part of project leadership teams, to explore these topics to ensure people’s lived experiences are at the heart of the programme.

The research project is titled, ‘Tackling health disparities through social innovation: a multi-stakeholder coalition for inclusive health in Brent, London’ and will be led by Dr Maria Kett from University College London (UCL).

Dr Kett said, “This project will work in collaboration with Brent ICP. It seeks to understand how community assets and community participation can be leveraged to address systemic health inequalities in the London Borough of Brent.”

The Community Grants Fund opens on Monday 9 October and closes on Sunday 5 November and is offering grants of up to £10,000 per organisation.

Applications are sought from local organisations for Brent-based community projects that can draw on the knowledge, skills and ability of local people to make a difference in the community.

We are inviting applications from organisations that would like to support improving health and wellbeing in their community. We will prioritise projects from organisations that support children and young people and projects that target and benefit disadvantaged groups.

Projects that can apply for funding must:

• Focus on addressing health inequalities in Brent by targeting the broader factors that affect health.
• Focus on health awareness and encourage healthy lifestyles.
• Raise awareness and provide resources for emotional and mental health support within the identified groups.
• Promote the importance of preventative screenings, health education, and early intervention programs.
• Encourage immunisation/vaccination uptake through awareness, outreach and accessibility for the target groups.
• Improve health and wellbeing for an identified group.
• Have clear and measurable outcomes that demonstrate impact.

More information

Full eligibility criteria and details of how to apply, along with a guidance handbook, is available on the council’s Community Funding and Support page