An NHS North West London and an Ealing Borough Based Partnership event, the Ealing Community Health and Wellbeing Fair, took place this September.
The fair was used to launch our Health Inequalities Framework in the borough. You can find out more about tackling inequalities in North West London here.
The event was an opportunity for residents to learn about how they could access healthcare and related services locally. Residents could give feedback and suggestions for improvements.
CarePlace, Social Prescribing Link Workers, Core20Plus5, Spectra, Welfare Advice, RISE, NishkamSwat, the Department for Work and Pensions, Yes Community Champions and Homeless advice represented the public and voluntary sectors. Residents could access advice about many areas, including diabetes awareness and employment advice. There was support for members of the LGBTQ+ population.
The fair was also a big success for joint working between local organisations as those who attended used it as a space to link together and co-ordinate their work. For example, RISE, an organisation for addiction support, connected with Age UK, to work together to support any older people who might be struggling with addictions. The NHS North West London Engagement team added several organisations to its Ealing Integrated Care Communications and Engagement Working Group. This purpose of this group is to create better integrated working in Ealing.
Cllr Karam Mohan said:"I am glad that I was able to attend the Health inequalities event on 6th Sep in Dominion Centre and meet a number of professionals. As due to covid factors people have no or very few opportunities to discuss health issues in person with their GP's, such events can be very useful, and they should be held on a regular basis in all the parts of the borough with maximum publicity."
Cllr Surinder Kaur Jassal commented: "Working in partnership with different services brings the best health awareness in the local community, promoting health and wellbeing and I am in full support of this way of working.”
The event was held at the Dominion Centre, in Southall, Ealing. We will be holding similar events in the near future.