Deputy Chief Medical Officer sees Brent's 'Taking Prevention to People' programme in action

The Deputy Chief Medical Officer for England, Dr Jeanelle de Gruchy, joined Brent Health Matters (BHM) this month to see how healthcare is being delivered directly in communities and workplaces to tackle health inequalities and improve access to healthcare.

As part of Brent's Taking Prevention to People programme, Dr de Gruchy visited Greencore Factory in Park Royal on 15 July and the Central Mosque of Brent in Willesden on 17 July.

At Greencore, Dr de Gruchy met Brent Health Matters staff, healthcare professionals and spoke to staff at the factory about workplace health and wellbeing activities. She saw how health checks, advice and preventative interventions are being delivered during shifts and break times, helping workers who may otherwise struggle to access routine healthcare because of long or irregular working hours.

In 2025 alone, the programme delivered 14 workplace health events, reaching more than 1,000 workers and providing 606 health checks, which identified previously undiagnosed health needs such as undiagnosed diabetes or high blood pressure and led to GP referrals.

At the Central Mosque of Brent, Dr de Gruchy was joined by the Mayor of Brent, Councillor Amer Agha, the Leader of Brent Council, Councillor Muhammed Butt, Cabinet Member for Community Safety and Public Health, Councillor Liz Dixon, Brent Public Health leaders and Dr Riaz, who leads the mosque's health and community initiatives.

The visit included a tour of the mosque's food bank, medical centre and gym, showcasing services including vaccination clinics, diabetes eye screening, health checks and wider preventative health programmes. The visit concluded with a physical activity taster session.

Brent Public Health and Brent Health Matters have worked closely with the Central Mosque of Brent to provide healthcare in a trusted community setting. Since 2021, the partnership has delivered 57 health engagement and immunisation events, resulting in 783 COVID-19 vaccinations, 25 flu vaccinations and 334 health check and wellbeing interactions.

Councillor Liz Dixon, Cabinet Member for Community Safety and Public Health, said:

"Our approach is based on trust, partnership and prevention. We know that many residents face challenges in accessing traditional healthcare services, whether because of work commitments, caring responsibilities or other barriers. By working alongside community leaders, faith organisations and employers, we can identify health concerns earlier, connect people with support and help reduce inequalities across Brent."

Dr Jeanelle de Gruchy, Deputy Chief Medical Officer, said:

"Regular health checks enable people to live longer, healthier lives."

"It was a privilege to spend time in Brent seeing the important work being done by the council and the NHS to enable residents to access health checks. In Park Royal, the council's public health team and local NHS are building relationships with businesses and their staff to deliver health checks to people at their places of work, particularly benefitting those whose working patterns can make it harder to access health care during the day."

"In Willesden Green, I visited a busy diabetes event at the Central Mosque, where a strong partnership between the mosque, public health team and NHS provides a comprehensive health offering within a major community hub. In both areas I was struck by the innovation, passion and ambition to work in and with communities to improve the health and wellbeing of local residents."

Both initiatives form part of Brent's wider strategy to prevent ill health, reduce inequalities and ensure healthcare reaches residents who may otherwise be underserved. Brent Health Matters was established in response to the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on some communities and continues to bring together partners from Brent Council, the NHS, voluntary sector organisations and local communities to improve health outcomes across the borough.