News and resources - Health Equity Festival

Restoring Hope – Health Equity Festival & Celebration

Summary

Race(ism) and place determine health outcomes in the RCGP NEL Faculty, and our area has been disproportionately affected by Covd-19 with an exacerbation in inequalities experienced more profoundly by women. There has been emotional and physical fatigue and distress amongst those providing care since the onset of the pandemic a year ago
in March 2020.

Against this backdrop the RCGP NEL Faculty initiated in June 2020 and facilitated a leadership group for Health Equity across NCL and NEL. On 11 January 2021 there was agreement in this GP Health Equity Leadership Group to host an event to showcase stories to restore hope and showcase the community as medicine. This was to be facilitated by the RCGP NEL Faculty with NHS Partners East London Health & Care Partners, North London Partners, QMUL. Our NHS Partners agreed to fund this event and Bromley by Bow (BBB) Centre ran the event. The event was held virtually and recorded over three evenings from 22 – 24 February 2021. The RCGP NEL Co-Honorary Secretaries Shani Bhaskaran and Sally Smith and Provost Liliana Risi facilitated planning and hosting of the event. Tribute was paid to the 14,000 thousand residents in London and the Health and care workers who have who have died since the onset of the pandemic, many of whom have come from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities. Music, poetry and art filled the space throughout the event. Stories were told by patients, GPs, Social prescribers/ link workers, Public health colleagues, medical students and community organisers.

Themes covered fuel poverty in Islington, Voluntary Community Sector enhanced partnership working and social determinants of health in Newham, a trauma informed approach in Hackney, a patient led group for chronic pain in Tower Hamlets, Communities Driving Change and a socially accountable Medical School. There was an overwhelming response, despite minimal lead in time for our Health Equity Restoring Hope Festival & Celebration. Overall, 241 attendees registered on Eventbrite: 41% GP, 3% Doctor (unspecified); 6% Social Prescriber Link workers; 5% Students; 5% Nurses; 2% Practice manager; 39% Other (Academia/Voluntary Sector/Research). One hundred (100) attended Evening 1 (evening rating (4.2/5); Ninety (90) on Evening 2 (evening rating 4.4/5) and 70 on Evening 3. (evening rating 5/5). There was high audience retention through each evening. Sector leaders were invited to speak using an elevator pitch platform (i.e., speaking for max 5 minutes) on fairer environments, resilient systems, strong communities and resourceful people and these pitches were woven into the programme each day throughout the event. These leaders included: Philippa Cockman, Tower Hamlets GP, NHSE Deputy Medical Director GP Appraisal London; Naureen Bhatti, Tower Hamlets GP, HEE Lead GP Training North Central and East London; Jo Sauvage, Chair, North Central London CCG; Katie Coleman, Personalisation lead for NCL Partners; Jagan John NEL CCG Chair and NHSE London Lead Personalised Care Clinical; Anita Berlin, Academic Lead for CBME, Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London; Sabir Zaman and Kaindon Kugathas Co-Chairs RCGP NEL Faculty.

Moving forwards pending funding there are three intentions.

The first is to make a short film in April June 2021, from the recording of the festival. This is to capture the stories of hope to promote the personalisation agenda both within the NHS, in the RCGP and for teaching at QMUL. April 2020.
The second is to facilitate a mini conference to showcase models of care that encourage high engagement from clinicians, and which promote close working with social prescribers/link workers with a vision for Climate Health Equity. Examples of such organisations are BBB, the Greener Practice, Wellsbourne Healthcare CIC, and HIYOS West London and at scale Hope Citadel. The Community Interest Contract (CIC) model of managing finances is collaborative and sustainable but many who aspire to this model often do not have the knowledge or support to make the transition to this form of service delivery. This event would also deal with the framework of how to locate and support link workers in practices and would be coproduced in partnership with the same group involved in the Restoring Hope Festival & Celebration. These being the RCGP, QMUL and NHS NCL Partners and ELH&CP in June – July 2020.
The third is to make a second short film August- September 2021 produced from the recorded event focusing on contractual models which will used for learning amongst partners and for teaching in QMUL.

Restoring Hope – Health Equity Festival & Celebration

Summary

Recordings