Building Trust project

Learning from Covid by building trust

Background

The Covid-19 pandemic both increased health inequality and shone a spotlight on it.

It revealed that black and Asian communities in particular were reluctant to take the Covid vaccine due to a long-standing lack of trust in the healthcare system as a result of their lived experience.

We need health and care services that work equally for everyone and in which everyone feels confident.

That means taking a new approach towards shaping and providing healthcare, with residents, community groups, the NHS and councils working in real collaboration.

Not yet another report but real action.

Building Trust project in H&F

This is why, in Hammersmith & Fulham, the council has instigated a Building Trust project with local residents, community groups and NHS North-West London.

Beginning with black residents, local people will tell their stories face-to-face to those in the NHS and council who plan and provide our local health and care services – people in positions of authority who have the power to change things for the better.

The aim is for these sessions, which are being led by the borough’s voluntary and community sector, to create a shared understanding of how difficult issues like structural racism and poverty affect residents’ experiences of health and care services and the outcomes they get.

The next step will be to make the improvements needed, with residents and the people who run local health and care services genuinely co-producing this.

The outcome should be better services for everyone, leading to greater trust in the health and care system by people who currently feel less well treated as a result of their background.

Cllr Ben Coleman, Deputy Leader of Hammersmith & Fulham Council

Listening events

Here is a list of the listening events community groups and local organisations will be running throughout the summer.

June

Friday 9 June – 10am-1pm
H&F Age UK
105 Greyhound Rd, W6 8NJ

Friday 16 June – 1pm-4pm
White City Community Centre
7 India Way, W12 7QT

Thursday 22 June – 11am-2pm
MACWO
202 Uxbridge Road, W12 7JP

Friday 23 June – 5pm-8pm
Young H&F Foundation
245 Hammersmith Road, W6 8PW

Friday 30 June – 10am-1pm
SOBUS
Sands End & Arts Community Centre

July

Tuesday 11 July – 5pm-8pm
ASE
Westworks, W12 7F2

Friday 14 July – 11am-2pm
Sickle Cell Society
Location - TBC

Friday 21 July – 5pm-8pm
Place of Our Sanctuary
84 Lillie Road, SW6 1TL

August

Friday 25 August – 5pm-8pm
Young H&F Foundation
245 Hammersmith Road, W6 8PW

Need more information?

Please contact Sam Lewis at samuel.lewis@lbhf.gov.uk or call 07788 416 386.