Dudley Strategy for Tackling Health Inequalities 2010-15

o DMBC sharing their community engagement database with the NHS economy inDudley to facilitate learning and sharing of practice, improve the effectiveness ofcommunity engagement activity and reduce duplication. This is a prelude toextending access to other statutory and voluntary sector organisations.o NHS Dudley and DMBC Dudley Health & Social Care Commissioning Frameworkand Strategy 2008-13 was underpinned by a wide-ranging engagement through anationally recognised „Think Tank‟ process and health inequalities wasestablished as a theme to guide commissioning activity.o Follow-on work from the „Think Tank‟ activities through a two phase engagementexercise – phase one utilised a mobile film unit to elicit views about health andsocial care, and phase two will utilise the film from this to stimulate furtherdiscussion and comment from a diverse range of audiences across the borough.A planned and systematic approach„To effectively tackle health inequalities and avoid the vast amount of waste and / oradditional costs incurred from under-used services, poor self-management of longterm conditions and commissioned activity and services which fail to move beyondpilot / short term funding, a planned and systematic approach (to communityengagement) is crucial,‟ (Smithies, 2010).In Dudley, the strategic approach taken through „In it together‟ (Dudley CommunityPartnership, 2010) is helping to ensure that community engagement activity impactson change at all levels. The National Support Team also recognised that we haveextensive, regular and secure arrangements for community engagement on healthand social care issues.The Five Elements model proposed by the Health Inequalities National SupportTeam (Smithies, 2010) provides a framework to plan, deliver, monitor and evaluatecommunity engagement work (Figure 1). Applying this model to both cross-agencystrategic approaches and individually commissioned initiatives and services will helpto ensure that the sustainability, reach and impact of community engagement work ismaximised.58