A partnership championed by and delivered within NHS Birmingham and Solihull Integrated Care System has won a prestigious national award for its innovative work addressing the health inequalities facing black and global majority women and families in West Birmingham.
Flourish, the West Birmingham Community Health Collaborative, and Ladywood and Perry Barr Locality Partnership (LPBLP) won the coveted HSJ Award in the NHS Race Equality category at the awards ceremony in London. The award recognises five pioneering programmes co-produced with communities that together tackle ethnic health inequalities, particularly around maternity, and promote a more equitable NHS for service users and staff:
Designed by LBPLP and delivered in secondary schools by YPEC, the Best Start in Life Health Hack focuses on reducing Infant Mortality through education about risk factors, healthy choices around pregnancy and birth, and the introduction of the service landscape, including key careers - raising aspirations and diversifying recruitment base.
Community Research Work Experience offers more, and more diverse secondary pupils the chance to work with NHS midwives on a community research topic of mutual interest. Requiring as few as 3 contact hours from supporting clinicians, it stimulates interest in an NHS career at the sharp end of health inequalities and equips pupils with a basic professional network.
Flourish’s Community and Cultural Immersion programme is an innovative 2-week placement in West Birmingham schools and community partners that supports the development of culturally sensitive practitioners, offering a grounding in reflective practice, active listening, respectful questioning, trauma informed practice, rebuilding trust and change leadership. A programme for NHS staff is in development.
Doula Connectors are a combined workforce of 20+ community-based doulas offering language- and culture-specific support to Black and Global Majority (BGM) women in West and East Birmingham. Run by Flourish, Bethel Doula and Approachable Parenting, the programme provides direct support for birthing women, as well as parenting courses and online workshops, while amplifying women’s voices to drive service improvement.
Underpinning all of this work is the upcoming roll-out of a Creative English with Health Literacy programme to enable West Birmingham residents to confidently advocate for themselves and their families, and preparing young people to take advantage of the schools programmes in the suite.
The cycle of activity responds not just to listening within the community, but also to the wider recommendations of the ground-breaking BLACHIR report - Birmingham and Lewisham African and Caribbean Health Inequalities Review (2022). Among other things, the report highlights the impact of racism and discrimination within maternity and parenthood, mental health and emergency care, suggesting opportunities for action.
Salma Yaqoob, ICS Health Inequalities Associate Director, said “We’re thrilled with the result. This is a well-deserved win which acknowledges the passion and commitment on all sides toward reducing health inequalities and creating a better NHS for all our communities.”
Patrick Vernon OBE, Interim Chair of BSol Integrated Care Board, added, “We commend the judges for making a brave choice in recognising that this work, this combination of programmes – some of them embryonic – has the power to change the culture of our NHS. We need to engage our young people, to support our communities, to motivate our leaders and to educate our workers if we want to see real change, and these programmes represent the first steps in doing that.”
The annual HSJ Awards, partnered this year with Vodafone Business, are the most esteemed accolade of healthcare service excellence in the UK. The awards are not just a celebration of success stories but also a platform to shape the future of the NHS.
Flourish and the LPBLP gratefully acknowledge the encouragement and support of the Birmingham and Solihull Integrated Care Board and colleagues, as well as the tireless commitment of our community partners to creating a more equitable health and social care system.
The full list of Winners and those Highly Commended for the 2023 HSJ Awards can be found at awards.hsj.co.uk/winners-2023