Using your feedback to improve care
NHS Norfolk and Waveney ICB is working with District Councils and the local Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) sector to develop and deliver a new engagement programme to help us listen to our communities and better understand experiences and opinions of accessing healthcare. It started during the COVID-19 pandemic to help us understand vaccine uptake, but has since looked at a range of services such as bowel cancer screening and stop smoking.
This pilot, known as Community Voices, works with trusted communicators to speak with communities who may not already engage with the NHS and other statutory bodies to hear what is important to them. We have learned that when talking to people about health services they also talk about a range of other issues that affect their health and wellbeing, such as housing and employment. We are designing ways to capture all this insight and make sure it is shared with people who design and deliver a range of services across Norfolk and Waveney.
The information we gathered early on in the first phase of the pilot was analysed by the University of East Anglia with the intention that this knowledge and insight is used to make positive changes to the way in which we engage with our communities and deliver services. NHS England has written a case study about Community Voices so our learning can be shared. Since the publication of the UEA report, Community Voices has undertaken several projects, learning from these different projects has been collated in the evaluation report which can be found here. Findings of the Community Voices Bowel Cancer screening (InHIP) project can be found here. The Research Engagement Network (REN) Phase 2 programme evaluation report can he found here.
A case study about the Community Voices project to understand experiences of smoking can also been seen on the Community Conversations website, hosted by The Shoebox Enterprises Community Interest Company (CiC).
The full project evaluation for ‘Access to Stop Smoking Support’ can be found here.
Findings from the Lowestoft Healthy Hearts project can be found here.
We would like to thank our host organisations, Community Champions and our communities for supporting this pilot.
How has insight collected by Community Voices made a difference so far?
Some of the insight helps us plan services:
- To decide where to send the Wellness on Wheels (WoW) bus and what services to include
- To inform the Serious Violence Duty needs assessment
- To help a local council apply for funding bids and prioritise services in their council strategies
- Make improvements to cancer screening services and improve uptake
- Informed the Norfolk and Waveney Health Inequalities strategy
- Informed the NHS Talking Therapies service design and procurement
Some of the insight helps the trusted communicators make a difference during their conversations:
Outcomes
This table shows the outcomes from the Community Voices conversations up to December 2024.
| Information about local community groups given 58 | Advised to contact GP 37 | Support given to access benefits 25 | Assisted to attend GP 19 | Blue badge application completed 3 |
| Vaccination information given 16 | Child benefit application completed 2 | Support given to attend local social events 8 | Court summons prevented for council tax arrears 1 | Drug and alcohol support referral completed 7 |
| Housing application completed 6 | Interpreted booked for health visit 4 | PIP application completed 8 | Support given to access dentist 8 | Assisted to register with a GP 12 |
| Support given to register on the NHS Low Income Scheme 3 | Support given to become digitally 4 | Medical information translated 3 | Contact made with GP 11 | NAS application completed 7 |
Children and Young People’s Asthma project
Community Voices undertook a Children and Young People’s Asthma project, learning gathered from the conversations about asthma with children and young people and their families was analysed by the Norfolk Office of Data Analytics. The full evaluation report can be found here and case studies can be found here.
Frequently asked questions
Below are some frequently asked questions, which will hopefully answer any queries you may have if you have been involved in a Community Voices project. Please note, we aim to update this list of questions periodically.
Click on a question below to reveal the answer.
Host organisations
If you have any feedback or suggestions on how the pilot could be improved, or if you have any concerns relating to the pilot, we would like to hear from you. You can direct these to Norfolk and Waveney Complaints Team via the contact details set out below:
Feedback and Ideas:
If you would like to feedback any ideas or suggestions please contact us at: nwicb.communityvoices@nhs.net
Complaints or concerns:
Tel: 01603 595897
Address: NHS Norfolk and Waveney ICB, Floor 8 County Hall, Martineau Lane, Norwich, Norfolk, NR1 2DH
If you have any concerns about another service or provider, please contact them directly.