Representatives of local communities that we have been poor at reaching in the past got together on Thursday, 19 January in a group called the ‘North West London Co-Design Advisory Body’ (DAB for short).
The group has been set up to ensure that minority voices are heard and listened to. It will help to advise us on how we work with our residents and communities across North West London. This will include working with local people to help develop and shape our plans for healthcare in our area.
Dr Bob Klaber, a consultant paediatrician at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, chaired the first meeting and will co-chair future meetings with a community representative.
Dr Klaber said: “The NHS has not always been good at listening to our communities in the past. It’s important that we are humble in our approach, curious about what we can learn from our communities and positive about using their insights to deliver better services and lasting change.”
Feedback on the first gathering was very positive, with respondents scoring it an average of 8 out of 10.
A few quotes from attendees: ‘Fantastic linking with other networks’, ‘A really good start and very inclusive’, ‘Bob chaired beautifully today, I loved the enthusiasm. Let's not lose this’.
We want the work of this group to be open and transparent. You can watch the Co-Design Advisory Body in action here.
If you have views on how we work with local communities or ideas for local groups we can talk to, please email nhsnwl.communications.nwl@nhs.net.