Dudley Strategy for Tackling Health Inequalities 2010-15

CHC‟s are trained and supported to „get good health information into diversecommunities‟. They are well placed to do so, having local knowledge and credibility,language skills and cultural understanding, and as a result they are able to signpostand support people to access services and activities or pass on health messages topeople who otherwise would find themselves isolated from professional services.CHC programmes have been shown to connect with people living in some of themost isolated and deprived communities and to be successful in improving healthoutcomes whilst also demonstrating the cost effectiveness of community engagementAltogether Better Executive Summary (NHS Yorkshire and the Humber, 2008/09).Initial outcomes from People in Public Health (South, 2009) case studies reviewed byLeeds Metropolitan University identifies a number of potential impacts of the CHC‟sprogramme. These include increased knowledge, understanding, confidence andself-esteem; social benefits i.e. reduction of social isolation, community cohesion andless stress; skills development and employability; better access to services and otherhealth resources (especially with groups that are less advantaged); and betterinformation flows between community and public services in addition to the directbenefits of an increase in healthy behaviours (e.g. increased levels of physicalactivity, fruit and vegetable consumption etc.).The Community Health Champions model is being introduced in Dudley to engageand support those individuals who may not have the confidence to take up moreformal volunteering opportunities. It will provide an important stepping stone into theestablished and more formal Public Health Volunteering Programme which trainsvolunteers to deliver key lifestyle services, such as Get Cooking classes, stopsmoking groups, weight management classes, expert patient programmes andphysical activity programmes such as led walks. Recruitment of volunteers ispredominantly targeted within deprived communities and the opportunities availableoffer many social benefits to both the volunteers and the wider community. For manypeople voluntary work can also be the first step towards paid employment. Havingdeveloped confidence, valuable skills and experience and demonstrated theircapabilities, many volunteers become paid as sessional workers to deliver theseservices, or go on to other education, training or employment opportunities.Health Trainers (HT) provide one potential route to employment for Public Healthvolunteers, and other local people who have experience of working in their localcommunity, and a desire to help people achieve a positive lifestyle change.Health Trainers were identified as an important resource for tackling healthinequalities in the „Choosing Health‟ White Paper (Great Britain. Department ofHealth, 2004), in line with the shift from „advice on high to support from next door.‟Health Trainers are drawn from local communities and understand the day-to-dayconcerns and experiences of the people they are supporting. Whilst they share somecommon characteristics with CHCs, the HT programme is based on an NHSworkforce model. Unlike the CHC model, which allows for more local flexibility, HTServices are underpinned by a framework and set of „core principles.‟ HTs are alsorequired to demonstrate their competency against two national competencies of193