Building a Well Communities Research Consortium to address health disparities through Integrated Care Systems
Lead Research Organisation:
City, University of London
Department Name: School of Health Sciences
Abstract
Community assets such as strong community networks and groups, arts and cultural activities, parks and green spaces have been shown to be associated with a wide range of health and social benefits but there are challenges for heath and care systems to realise these benefits at scale. Not everyone is able to benefit from these types of assets, with those from marginalised groups who often experience poorer health least likely to benefit.
This Research Consortium will explore how local health and care systems can better interface with, develop and mobilise community assets to improve health and reduce health disparities in two contrasting geographical contexts. The Consortium will adapt a framework called 'Well Communities' to develop, plan and co-ordinate its activities. Well Communities brings together a range of asset-based community development and co-production approaches that have been tried, tested and refined across more than 40 of the most disadvantaged neighbourhoods in London and are now being transferred into the Northamptonshire context. The Consortium will build on this work to research and develop ways to scale-up, spread and embed such approaches within new Integrated Care Systems (ICSs) within and outside of London.
The Well Communities Research Consortium will focus on two broad research questions:
1) What are the drivers of disparities across communities and how can new ICSs interface with, and help develop and mobilise, community assets to help tackle health disparities?
2) How can models designed to support ICSs to interface with community assets be scaled-up, embedded, sustained, and accessed to contribute to improving health outcomes, reducing disparities and creating healthier communities?
This case for support is for a nine month project to build our Consortium to fully address the questions above in a subsequent three year research programme. With a focus in particular on arts-based and natural environment assets, a wide range of disciplines and cross-sectoral non-academic partners - who do not usually work together - are needed to successfully design and undertake the research programme and ensure impact. To build the consortium we will use methodologies from the Well Communities framework, including World Café, whole system workshops, participatory systems mapping and arts-based methods. These methods will facilitate engagement and co-production and develop new relationships and partnerships between people with lived experience, researchers, health and care system stakeholders, community and voluntary sector and those working in arts based and natural environment focused groups and organisations.
This Research Consortium will explore how local health and care systems can better interface with, develop and mobilise community assets to improve health and reduce health disparities in two contrasting geographical contexts. The Consortium will adapt a framework called 'Well Communities' to develop, plan and co-ordinate its activities. Well Communities brings together a range of asset-based community development and co-production approaches that have been tried, tested and refined across more than 40 of the most disadvantaged neighbourhoods in London and are now being transferred into the Northamptonshire context. The Consortium will build on this work to research and develop ways to scale-up, spread and embed such approaches within new Integrated Care Systems (ICSs) within and outside of London.
The Well Communities Research Consortium will focus on two broad research questions:
1) What are the drivers of disparities across communities and how can new ICSs interface with, and help develop and mobilise, community assets to help tackle health disparities?
2) How can models designed to support ICSs to interface with community assets be scaled-up, embedded, sustained, and accessed to contribute to improving health outcomes, reducing disparities and creating healthier communities?
This case for support is for a nine month project to build our Consortium to fully address the questions above in a subsequent three year research programme. With a focus in particular on arts-based and natural environment assets, a wide range of disciplines and cross-sectoral non-academic partners - who do not usually work together - are needed to successfully design and undertake the research programme and ensure impact. To build the consortium we will use methodologies from the Well Communities framework, including World Café, whole system workshops, participatory systems mapping and arts-based methods. These methods will facilitate engagement and co-production and develop new relationships and partnerships between people with lived experience, researchers, health and care system stakeholders, community and voluntary sector and those working in arts based and natural environment focused groups and organisations.
