Knowledge is power, as they say and that's where we are with the Saffron and Highfields Community Dialogue projects in Leicester. We are in our scoping phase, getting to know Leicester people; what makes them tick? What are their concerns? How do they feel about healthcare in their area? How can we best support them?
Karen and Naim (our Community Health Development Workers) are rallying around, bringing residents, practitioners and NHS staff together, to talk, learn and plan. How can we really begin to co-design healthcare solutions with the communit
y for the community?
In late summer, we joined the Saffron Summer Carnival to begin our research. It was important to us to move away from questionnaires and form-filling, knowing that this in itself may create a barrier to sharing, for some people. We chose instead to create a 'roving reporter' vibe, with a small camera crew and myself and Alison as 'interviewers'. This created a buzz, and a lot of interest from local people of all ages.
I was amazed at the openness and enthusiasm of Saffron people. It occurred to me that most people are willing to talk, if we are willing to listen.
The carnival was the perfect starting point to talk to residents and find out what was on their mind. And, this is exactly what we discovered! Mental Health challenges such as depression and anxiety seemed to underpin many of the residents concerns, and were also effecting matters indirectly with links to smoking, substance abuse, teenage pregnancy and Incapacity Benefit. So now we are officially 'Keeping Saffron in Mind'.
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