Across society there are unfair and avoidable differences between the health of different groups of people. Cambridgeshire Community Services is committed to working to reduce those inequalities.

Here are some examples of the work going on across our organisation.

Supporting South Asian communities to access diabetes education programmes

(Luton Adults’ Integrated Community Diabetes Service)

Our diabetes services offer educational programmes, in English, Urdu and Bengali, to help people with diabetes manage their condition at home. However, take-up was low, especially within our Bengali and Urdu speaking populations.

To address this, volunteers were recruited to contact patients who had not responded to written invitations to diabetes education sessions. Their role is to discover any barriers to accessing the sessions, encourage attendance and assist with booking onto the programme. The volunteers recruited spoke either English, Bengali or Urdu and so were able to communicate with patients in their chosen language. This helped to make the education programme more relevant and inclusive for South Asian patients. In 2023-24, the diabetes education volunteers made almost 300 phone calls, which resulted in almost 170 successful bookings for sessions.

A dedicated instructional video was also created, featuring two female Urdu speakers and developed with input from patients, volunteers and support workers.

These efforts resulted in a 30% increase in bookings for the education sessions.

One of our diabetes education volunteers Leah Mbaje also won a 2023 valuing our volunteers award for her positive impact.

Collaborating across schools and health services to improve asthma care

(Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Community Asthma Team)

Childhood asthma can have a significant impact on a child’s quality of life and can even prove fatal. However simple steps can reduce the risks and help families better understand and manage the condition.

Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Integrated Care System (ICS) was successful in securing funding for an NHS England scheme, which in turn supported the Cambridgeshire Community Services community asthma team to run the pilot.

Initially the pilot focused on Wisbech, Fenland and Peterborough, and the Community Asthma Team identified the health services within those areas where childhood asthma indicators were poorest. They engaged with eight medical practices and 10 pharmacies, offering support and providing asthma care toolkits – which received good feedback from families.

The team also visited 11 Fenland schools and four Peterborough schools to provide guidance on asthma management and help them become Asthma Friendly Schools. Becoming an Asthma Friendly School means schools have a better understanding of asthma, promote asthma education and encourage good asthma management and good air quality. These schools also ensure that they have personalised action plans for all pupils with asthma, and store inhalers and spacers for children on site.

The community asthma team is now working on presentations for school assemblies, to educate and empower students with knowledge about asthma triggers, symptoms, preventive measures and helping them know what to do if their friend has an asthma attack. They are also supporting parents and carers through webinars, videos, and web information.

In the new school-term year, the team is looking to extend the programme to other schools in Peterborough.

Increasing the accessibility of our websites

(Across all areas of Cambridgeshire Community Services)

Websites can be a fantastic way for you to get information about our services, read guidance to help you care for yourself or a family member at home or to find how to reach us. However, some people may find web information difficult to access due to visual impairments, disabilities or if English isn’t their first language.

While our sites have used various tools to make them more accessible, in 2019 we started introducing the much more comprehensive assistive toolbar, Recite Me. We completed the roll out across all our websites in 2021.

Recite Me includes:

• A screen reader which reads text aloud
• Reading support tools, such as a ruler, magnifier and a dictionary
• The ability to customise the website’s colour scheme, as well as the texts, font style and size
• Real-time translation, which translates web content into more than 100 languages, including 35 text-to-speech voices.

Depending on the site, between 1% and 6% of our website visitors now use our Recite Me tool. In total, more than 35,000 pages have been accessed using it in the last year. The two most popular functions are the screen reader and translation.

Community Awareness Project - designed to enhance understanding and promote awareness of musculoskeletal health within our community

Senior physiotherapists Darshana Jain and Kailash Kumar from Peterborough have successfully spearheaded a community initiative in partnership with a local mosque, aimed at enhancing awareness of musculoskeletal health within the South Asian community.

The team recognised that accessing healthcare services can be challenging and recent studies of the Peterborough South Asian population showed only 5.28% attending MSK services, despite them representing 14.8% of the population.

A recent study showed the South Asian population are most at risk of developing an MSK condition compared to other ethnic groups. Read more about the reasons behind this in a recent research paper.

The project emphasised the importance of understanding common musculoskeletal issues, prevention strategies, and the valuable resources available through DynamicHealth services and the website. The event included interactive presentations (in Urdu), and informative question and answer sessions, and participants received valuable insights into self-management of their conditions. 

Between 38 to 40 people attended the session and the engagement from attendees was commendable, as they asked thoughtful questions and exhibited a strong desire to enhance their physical health and overall well-being. 

Feedback from the community was overwhelmingly positive, with many attendees expressing their gratitude for the accessible and culturally sensitive information provided, as well as the comprehensive guidance available on the website. The presence of trusted professionals like Darshana and Kailash allowed for direct engagement with their concerns, offering valuable take-home strategies.

“We especially appreciate the friendly and approachable manner of Dr Darshana, Kailash, and Debbie. Their clear and engaging delivery ensured the information was easily understood and well-received by all.

“Thank you for taking the time to connect with our community and empower them with knowledge about your services. We look forward to future collaborations with DynamicHealth.”

Overall, the project fostered a strong sense of community support and empowerment, highlighting the importance of accessible healthcare information in diverse community settings. The positive response has inspired the team to plan further sessions and expand their outreach, ensuring continued support for the community's health and wellness journey.

Debbie Goodland, Co-Production Lead, Ambulatory Services said: "We had a wonderful warm reception at the Husaini Islamic Centre in Peterborough. Kailash and Darshana did a wonderful job promoting the service and speaking to the community about preventing and managing musculoskeletal conditions.”

Photo left to right: Darshana Jain, Senior Physiotherapist, Debbie Goodland, Co-Production Lead for Ambulatory Services and Kailash Kumar, Senior Physiotherapist