Dudley Strategy for Tackling Health Inequalities 2010-15

Figure 1 – The Five Elements Model (Smithies, J., 2010)1. „Grassroots‟community work3. Professionalinfrastructure5. Overview &coordination2. Communityinfrastructure4. OrganisationdevelopmentIn Dudley we have extensive, regular and secure arrangements for communityengagement. „In it together‟ is paving the way to connect much of the communityengagement work at a cross-agency strategic level. The challenge now is to ensurethat all community engagement activity considers each stage of the model in itsplanning and delivery. This will require better access to decision making structures,and strategic leadership roles being built into community engagement work to ensurethat work directly with local communities informs areas such as workforcedevelopment, commissioning and service redesign.Public Health and the Local Authority (Community Health Improvement andCommunity Renewal respectively) are using the Five Element Model to reviewcurrent activity, identify gaps and plan for a more coordinated and strategic approachto community health improvement in the most deprived neighbourhoods in theborough through the development of Neighbourhood Health Plans.The Health Inequalities National Support Team recommended that localcommunities are made more aware of health inequalities and are engaged moreeffectively in setting local priorities, and that neighbourhood engagement structuresare simplified. Collaborative working between the Local Authority and NHS Dudley isongoing to ensure that community engagement structures and activity is simplifiedand streamlined to avoid duplication and gain maximum benefit from the processesalready in place. The development of Neighbourhood Health Plans will also help toensure that grassroots community work is better coordinated and that it informs localpriorities within each element of the model.59