The UK Research and Innovation 'Mobilising Community Assets to Tackle Health Inequalities' programme is now entering phase 3, with numerous substantial research programmes launching around the UK.
In Phase 3, projects will receive large-scale funding over 3 years to tackle entrenched and long-standing health inequalities in Britain’s poorest communities by exploring how health systems can collaborate more effectively with communities. Some of the projects will explore ways of addressing health inequalities at place, including in rural and coastal communities. Others will be focused on tackling systems change to support specific communities including:
- Roma communities
- refugees and migrant communities
- people experiencing homelessness
- D/deaf British Sign Language-using communities
- children and young people experiencing mental health challenges
Find more detail about each of the projects here.
An interim report on findings from the first two phases can be found here: https://ncch.org.uk/uploads/MCA-Interim-Report.pdf - a brief extract from the Executive Summary is below.
Projects funded in Phase 1 and Phase 2 of the programme have generated important outputs and research findings in their target communities. Key findings from across the programme so far are:
- Community-based approaches offer targeted solutions to reaching those most in need, living in the poorest areas.
- Asset mapping is required to identify strengths and gaps, and to ensure that offers are relevant to the needs of the local community.
- Local people need to be involved in decision-making processes.
- It needs to be made easier for decision-makers (commissioners, referrers, funders, and health and community professionals) to tackle inequalities and identify the most vulnerable members of society.
- Optimal funding/commissioning models are location-specific, but co-location of services and collaboration across organisations and programmes is more effective and offers the most cost-effective solution to tackling inequalities.
- Time and flexibility are vital to the development of trusting relationships and new ways of working, necessary for successful cross-sector partnerships.