Swale Special Interest Group on Black Minority and Ethnic (BME) Issues as a Learning Alliance

Project Proposal

1. Background

As a strategy to increase the effectiveness and quality of public service delivery in different sectors and in different parts of the world, the use of a Learning Alliance (LA) approach has become a significant and well recognised practice. Defined in a very general way, a LA is a series of connected multi-stakeholder platforms at different institutional levels (national, regional and local), involved in knowledge innovation and its scaling up (S. Smits, P. Moriarty and C. Sijbesma, 2007).

In the particular case of the health sector, it is recommended strongly that in order to increase well being and health innovations, knowledge transfer is needed through action-research and dissemination of health information from the perspective of all the parties involved in the provision and delivery of health services – users of services, providers of services, local governments, universities, voluntary sector and policy makers among others. Similarly, in order to scale up an innovation, a combined process of institutionalisation and geographical spreading, while safeguarding a flexible approach, is also recommended. Further, when innovating and scaling up, the convergence of its multiple stakeholders and disciplines is a must for a LA to prove effective. Again, in the particular case of the health sector, it has been evidenced that when skills and roles of stakeholders complement one another in collaborative ways, the results benefit the service users in many distinct ways. They also reduce costs in the provision of health services.

For a LA in the health and social care area, the key roles for stakeholders could be represented generally in the following diagram:

Cycle Diagram

Like in a patient centred approach, in a LA, the users of health services are at the centre.

Diversity House (DH), a voluntary organisation, working on empowering, strengthening and building the capacity of community groups in demanding good services to all disadvantaged groups, particularly those with a black minority and ethnic background seeks to create a Special Interest Group (SIG) using the LA approach to work on issues of equality and diversity in the health area for BME Communities in Swale. This SIG Group as part of the strategy of implementing innovative pilot experiences that will demonstrate new ways of promoting health equality among BME communities in the borough of Swale. Also as a way of developing innovative ways of transferring knowledge and engaging with different local stakeholders in the health sector in Swale.

2. The Project

Recognizing that actions on equality and diversity are now a key performance indicator for health and social care bodies as suggested by the “No Patient Left Behind” Report in 2008, Diversity House wants to position itself, accordingly, to provide action research and knowledge transfer services in the BME health area. In the past the House activities in this area had been driven by a demand by various BME communities in Swale (Blacks, South Asians and Romano Community) for bringing together evidence of their poor health status. Thus, in attempt to respond actively to these needs and demands, Diversity House plans to create the Swale SIG on BME issues from August onwards. The Swale SIG general purpose is to contribute to the advancement of knowledge on equality and diversity issues as it relates to health and social care needs of the BME populations in Swale.

The project of creating a BME SIG Group specifically seeks to achieve the main results:

Map out the existence and approximately number of all old and new BME groups in the Borough of Swale.
Map out all the health services available to Swale BME communities in the private, public, community and voluntary sectors.
Prepare an in-depth and well-being health assessment of all BME communities in Swale, including the traveller community.
Engage the Swale health services in the prevention or treatment of those long term and chronic conditions related to specific ethnic groups as identified by the need assessment as, for example, mental health, Sexual health, diabetes, hypertension etc.
Document the process of launching, developing and monitoring a LA to work on equality and diversity issues for BME populations in the Swale area.
Disseminate, locally and nationally, electronically and by other means, the experience of creating a LA to serve BME populations.
Mainstreaming training and capacity building in the area of equality and diversity through Diversity House and with the various partners that will be part of the SIG Group.
Monitor and evaluate all activities performed by the project on a regular basis in order to identify best practices and lessons learnt.
Promote networking and search of funds to guarantee the sustainability of the Swale SIG Group.

3. Evidence

Swale, located in the north of Kent, consists of the three main towns; Sittingbourne, Sheppey, Faversham and some surrounding rural areas and, according to the 2001 census, had a population of 128,500 people. Of that total roughly 2,500 (1.86%) are BME people. However, this number calculated in the census of 2001 has been modified due to the recent influx of people form Eastern Europe. In the NHS health profile of Swale in 2008 on health inequalities it is stated that “women from the least deprived areas can expect to live almost 5 years longer than those from the most deprived ones” (www.helathprofiles.info). Yet, nothing is mentioned in relation to the health inequalities within BME groups.

From a national perspective the recent report No Patient Left Behind: how can we ensure world class primary care for black and minority ethnic people? by Professor Mayur Lakhani in 2008 firmly states that definitely “there is a mismatch between the health needs and requirement of BME people and the services on offer, leading to dissatisfaction and unmet need”. As a result, the same report recommends “steps should be taken to improve the quality of general practice and for BME patients to have a greater say in their healthcare.” It is with this evidence as background that the Diversity House finds justification to propose the creation of the Swale BME SIG on health issues.

4. Methodology

In order to accomplish the main results through the MBE SIG the methodology proposed combines a variety of strategic interactive, qualitative and participatory methods deriving from different current approaches within adult pedagogy. These include:

Participatory Group Work: The main methodological core of the creation of a BME SIG comes via the formation of the LA in which all the various stakeholders will participate in order to gain skills in three main elements: the use of a LA approach as applied to BME needs in the health area, action research and the corresponding understanding of the health needs related to the BME communities in Swale.

Mapping exercises from an action research perspective: Through which participants should be able to apply newly gained understandings of innovation and scaling up to their own work on BME issues.

Experiential learning: Through which participants will develop an action plan to address action research needs relevant to their situation as BME communities in Swale

Networking: The network of the participating actors in the LA according to their areas of interest and service will be the platform in which continuous communication regarding the project will take place.

Publication: The experience of forming a LA will be published in the form of an article that will have a critical and analytical perspective that should enable an understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of a project such as this, and the opportunities that it throws open for BME Communities.

Evaluation: Through which the content, relevance, duration, and logistics of all the activities implemented will be assessed.

In contrast to an academic format the proposed methodology for this project has a participatory and dialogical format that should facilitate the process of comprehension and adoption of the LA approach among all parties. The participatory element should facilitate, for example, the process of hearing all BME participants’ voices as well as the negotiation of different points of views when needed. Meanwhile, the dialogical element should facilitate the consensus and dissent as parallel processes that are negotiated easily with the combination of participatory methodologies.

Awareness raising and capacity building in all aspects of the implementation of a LA are also critical as work methodologies for the implementation of the project. Ultimately the participation of BME communities as part of the methodology should result in a learning experience for all participants.

5. Project sustainability

Training and capacity building for the various members of the SIG group will be a regular activity, so that the members will learn how to raise funds, understand health promotion and carry out action research proposals.

Networking and search of funds will be the second type of activity that is expected will guarantee some sustainability to Diversity House once the project ends.

6. Activities

Visual chart of the indicative activities and milestones

CREATION OF THE BME SIG

· Preparation of letters of invitation to all possible members

· Planning of vision, mission and basic activities for the SIG

· Baseline assessment

NEEDS ASSESSMENT OF BME COMMUNITIES IN SWALE

· Launching of the BME SIG Group

· Mapping out exercises (groups, services and needs for BME communities)

· BME in-depth and well being health assessment

· Preparation of the firs BME Summit for May 2009

· Creation of a web page for the SIG group

· Creation of a newsletter (two per year)