Working with people and communities
To deliver our ambitious programme we know we need to enhance how we work with local people and communities, deepening our partnership work at the most local level so we empower and support individuals, families and communities to be stronger, more resilient and more independent.
Partnership working
As a system we have made some positive progress, particularly how we worked with local communities during the COVID-19 pandemic. But we know we need to nurture new and different relationships between residents and the NHS, local government and the voluntary, community, faith and social enterprise sector to truly understand and address those wider root causes of poor health.
Across our partnership we are developing strong connections and collaboration between work that’s happening across the wider health and care system, in our four ‘Places’ and at the most local ‘neighbourhood’ or community level, often based around the primary care network geographies.
At the heart of this work is recognising that those living, working and delivering services in local areas know the challenges – and the solutions – best, working to the following key principles:
- Building and growing relationships
- Being open and inclusive
- Listening to our communities
- Working together as partners and alongside residents to achieve sustainability activity on the ground
- Transforming our approach to commissioning and service delivery through more integrated working
This work is overseen by our Neighbourhood Board.
More information about how we are actively involving and engaging local people and communities can be found in our Get Involved section.
Case examples
Growing Health Together in East Surrey
Work at PCN level across East Surrey has seen primary and community health care workers, social prescribers, the county council, borough and district councils, VCSE groups and others collaborate - getting alongside communities to support, enable and promote citizen-led action and projects that create social connections and improve health and wellbeing - this includes, for example, community gardens, arts and music events and peer support groups. See Growing Health Together for more information.
Tech to Connect project
This project led by the Surrey Coalition of Disabled People has been providing technology and tech user support to isolated and vulnerable members of our community during the pandemic.