The urgent and emergency care programme is keen to identify opportunities for improving health and for reducing health inequalities. As a Partnership, we continue to encourage people to ‘choose well’ especially as health and care services continue to be under enormous pressure. If people do become unwell and have an urgent medical problem, it is important they get the care that is most appropriate for their needs.
Equipping people to ‘choose well’ is very important as it reduces the need for those with low acuity cases, such as a minor complaint that is non-urgent, and instances where people could see their community pharmacist to then undertake appropriate self-care at home rather than attending primary or acute care settings. Emergency departments are there to treat those with life-threatening and critical illnesses and injuries.
Some people and groups within our more deprived communities across West Yorkshire may have lower levels of health literacy and may not have access IT. We are keen to highlight areas of good practice to help close the gap on widening health inequalities.
With a drive to social media and online platforms there are far fewer printed materials than in recent years and many groups will not be seeking out or accessing online information at all meaning we are disconnected from some groups of people within our communities. Local engagement is important to make connections and gaining the trust of the seldom reached.
Recently and during the COVID-19 pandemic there has been some great work across our places in conjunction with third and voluntary sector colleagues to share and reach the seldom reached.
Case studies like this one show how we have worked differently across West Yorkshire to:
- Reach and engage people with low levels of health literacy
- Equip people with the knowledge to choose the right service for their needs
- Reach people with little or no internet access.
Background
Yorkshire Ambulance Service (YAS) covers the whole of Yorkshire and provides the Emergency Ambulance Service (999), NHS 111 and the NHS funded non-emergency Patient Transport Service.
As with the wider health and care system, the ambulance sector is currently seeing unprecedented levels of demand. At the same time there is a desire within the service, and in the ambulance sector nationally, to do more to contribute to reducing health inequalities. YAS sees its community engagement activity as very much a part of this.
The service covers nearly 6,000 square miles of varied terrain, from isolated moors and dales to urban areas, coastline and inner cities. It serves a population of over five million people right across Yorkshire and the Humber.
The service’s community engagement team works with communities across Yorkshire. The team provides training on life-saving skills, helps people understand how and when to use YAS services and engages with communities to understand how they can improve services, contribute to improving people’s health and reduce health inequalities.
The ambition
The community engagement strategy, covering 2021 to 2024, sets out how YAS will engage with communities to achieve its vision to be trusted as the best urgent and emergency care provider with the best people and partnerships, delivering the best outcomes for patients.
The strategy includes commitments to engage with communities to contribute to saving lives, building relationships and addressing health inequalities. It has helped the service reframe its approach to community engagement so that they are more proactive and targeted – focusing on the communities that need support the most.
Alongside training and education activities - making sure people learn key life-saving skills, YAS supports communities to choose the right service and improve their health. The service wants to attend grass roots events and make the most of opportunities where it can engage with those it wouldn’t traditionally engage with. These are often the communities that are most likely to need its services.
As well as training delivery and a programme of face-to-face engagement events, YAS is developing a number of projects that seek to support and understand specific populations and projects that aim to increase community capacity. For 2022/23, there is a particular focus on working with people with a learning disability, people who are homeless and vulnerable women. The service is also developing a number of train-the-trainer programmes to support people to train others in their community on life-saving skills.
What they did
YAS has developed a community engagement work plan for 2022/23 that includes four priorities:
- Engagement with vulnerable populations
- Train-the-trainer programmes to increase community capacity
- Employment and skills programmes focused on increasing employability for the communities and individuals that most need that support
- Grass-roots community events, prioritising events in deprived areas and those that enable us to engage communities we don’t always reach.
Examples of activity
- General first aid session with West Link Pupil Referral Unit (PRU) for 13 young people identified as disengaged from school environment and displaying challenging and often risky behaviours
- First aid session with West Yorkshire Police Safer Schools Team, delivered to pupils at Oakwood Academy, Wakefield who have been identified as not engaging in the classroom
- Meet and greet session with young people attending Youth Matters events in Swarcliffe, Leeds.
What they are doing
YAS is finding that its core training offer is a good way to open wider engagement with people, whether that be conversations about using services appropriately, or about other types of support it can provide.
The service has recently opened a conversation with staff, seeking feedback from its workforce on which communities would benefit most from learning more about how to use services. This will enable YAS to tap into the insight it has across its 6,000 strong workforce.
What’s next?
YAS has a rolling events programme that begins with a series of summer roadshows. These events are an opportunity for people to find out about the ambulance, its services and what it does. There are opportunities for YAS to expand its ‘choose well’ messaging at events and the service welcomes input from partners to support this.