Community Connexions

Let’s Listen, Talk and Act for Healthier Communities

Community Connexions is a patient and public engagement programme that seeks to foreground the lived experiences of local communities in the Black Country (Wolverhampton, Walsall, Sandwell, and Dudley) and Birmingham regarding their health and access to healthcare services. This helps to adapt our services to better meet local needs, inform future health research and develop understanding for prevailing health inequalities across these regions.

Community Connexions is a patient and public engagement programme that seeks to foreground the lived experiences of local communities in the Black Country and Birmingham regarding their health and access to healthcare services. This helps to adapt our services to better meet local needs, inform future health research and develop understanding for prevailing health inequalities across these regions.

Funded by Clinical Research Network (CRN) West Midlands, the programme is led by:

Our aim is to actively listen, share understanding and collaborate with a broad spectrum of community and voluntary organisations from faith organisations, local charities groups, mutual aid groups and community forums to better understand the:

  1. Needs and priorities of local communities
  2. Health behaviours
  3. Barriers that lead to poor engagement with health services and/or research

Our vision

  • Informing future health research and diversifying current recruitment
  • Collaborative working with various service providers
  • Co-creating mechanisms/projects for improved healthcare outcomes

Award recognition

  • HSJ Patient Safety Award 2023 - Improving Health Outcomes for Minority Ethnic Communities – High Commendation and plaque
  • HSJ Patient Safety Award 2022 - Shortlisted

 

Our core team

Hannah Ackom-Mensah

Community Connexions Lead and Underserved Populations Community Development Worker

hannah.ackom-mensah@nhs.net

Florence Okwu

Head of Research and Innovation, Black Country Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

florence.okwu@nhs.net

Dr Celine Benoit

Assistant Professor in Sociology, University of Nottingham (formerly Aston University)

celine.benoit@nottingham.ac.uk

 

Our operational group

Alicia Spence – Chief Executive Director at African Caribbean Community Initiative (ACCI)

Dr. Mohammed Shaikh – West Midlands Regional Research Delivery Network (RDN)

Dr. Hana Morrissey – Reader in Clinical Pharmacy and accredited Mental Health First Aid England instructor for adult and youth courses

Dr. Dev Acharya – Senior Lecturer – Public Health, University of Wolverhampton

Dinah-Mary Allotey – Policy and Partnership Consultant with vast experience in local government

Nazima Esscopri – BCHFT Community Inclusion Team

Hannah Ackom-Mensah – Community Connexions Lead, BCHFT Research and Innovation

Research projects include:

  • Community Health Co-Production Forum 2024
  • University of Keele
  • University of Wolverhampton
  • University of Warwick
  • University of Birmingham
  • University of Sussex
  • Aston University
  • Staffordshire University
  • BCHFT – Body worn cameras
  • BCHFT All Age Autism Roadmap
  • BCHFT – The Voices Project
  • Community Co-Innovation Task and Finish Group (NHS Arden and GEM, Integrated Care Board and University of Birmingham)
  • BCHC/ BVSC - Reach out project
  • BVSC - Dudley All Age Mental Health Needs Assessment
  • Sandwell Council - Migrant Health Needs Assessment Task and Finish Group
  • Join Dementia Research

Advisory roles/panel:

  • Research Study Advisory Group - Facilitating Bystander CPR
  • NIHR PHIRST PHRESH Independent Advisory Group (IAG)
  • Compton Care – People’s Panel
  • Healthwatch Wolverhampton Panel
  • Black Country ICS People’s Panel – Wolverhampton & Dudley

Listening events:

  • Hosted “Listening Tables” in various community hubs across Wolverhampton, The Wolverhampton Central Library, and in the Mander Shopping Centre
  • “We’re Listening: Let’s Listen Talk and Act for Healthier Communities” in collaboration with The Ghana Union of Wolverhampton
  • “Listening Month: What Matters to you?” with Sight Loss Councils, West Midlands

Community projects and activities include:

  • Community Connexions Community Health Co-Production Forum 2024
  • Oxley and Bilston Health and Wellbeing Facilities Task and Finish Group
  • Mental Health and well-being support group for women with Ileys Community Association
  • Padendere Community Sewing Group at ACCI
  • Mental Health 1 and 2 with The Ghana Union of Wolverhampton
  • National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month with The Hindu Cultural Association, Dudley
  • Do Something amazing today for a better tomorrow with The Hindu Cultural Association, Dudley
  • Information Session at Brushstrokes
  • Community Wellbeing fair and AGM (2023), Dudley
  • Celebrating World Hijab Day with Ahmadiyya Muslim Women’s Association, Walsall
  • Brierley Hill Market Pop-up Living Room with What If We? (Black Country)
  • Health Awareness Workshop on Dementia at Buddha Vihara with School of Health and Society, University of Wolverhampton
  • It’s All About You with The African Caribbean Community Centre
  • Community peer researcher training, Walsall Housing Group
  • Stakeholder Workshop: Black Country Health Plan for Refugees and People Seeking Asylum
  • Sparkle West Midlands Autism Fayre
  • African Business Forum, African Business Chamber Wolverhampton

BCHFT activities:

  • Perinatal and Maternal Mental Health
  • Community Inclusion Team
  • Knowledge and Library Services
  • Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
  • Spiritual Care Team
  • Patient Experience and Involvement
  • Service Experience Desk
  • Employment Services
  • Business Development and Sustainability – Talking Therapies
  • ENRICH Staff Network
  • Disability Staff Network
  • Wellbeing Service
  • Walsall Early Intervention and Psychosis Team
  • BCHFT Reflexions
  • Co-production Network
  • Research and Innovation Research Champions (Staff/ Patient & public)

Local government:

  • Our Walsall Story Partnership
  • Sandwell Migrant Health Partnership
  • Department for Work and Pensions (Wolverhampton, Walsall, Sandwell)
  • Children and Young People’s Public Health, Dudley
  • Dudley Council - Oral Health

BCHFT ICS/ ICB:

  • Application for ICS Research Engagement & Network Development (ICS REND)
  • Presentation to Health Inequality Strategy Working Group
  • Black Country Asylum Seeker and Refugee Health Plan
  • Black Country ICS Dudley People Panel - March 2024
  • Digital Inequalities ICB

BCHFT ICS/ ICB:

  • Application for ICS Research Engagement & Network Development (ICS REND)
  • Presentation to Health Inequality Strategy Working Group
  • Black Country Asylum Seeker and Refugee Health Plan
  • Black Country ICS Dudley People Panel - March 2024
  • Digital Inequalities ICB

BCHFT ICS/ ICB

  • Application for ICS Research Engagement & Network Development (ICS REND)
  • Presentation to Health Inequality Strategy Working Group
  • Black Country Asylum Seeker and Refugee Health Plan
  • Black Country ICS Dudley People Panel - March 2024
  • Digital Inequalities ICB

West Midlands and other:

  • Equality, Diversity and Inclusivity in Research in West Midlands: Way Forward (Hosted in partnership with Clincal Research Network Wet Midlands and RSS)
  • RDF24 Wales
  • BCHC Oral Health Improvement
  • Health Unity: Bridging Communities and Research
  • National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Birmingham Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) roundtable on how to ensure under-served groups are represented in maternal health research
  • Nurturing The Soul: Faith and Metal Wellbeing with Ahmadiyya Muslim Women’s Association, Solihull, Birmingham

 

  1. Community Connexions engagement handbook: Engagement for underserved communities
  2. Mental Health by Dr. Hana Morrissey
  3. Poems: These Voices – a poem by Abokuma 2022
  4. Blog - Brewing wellness

If you have a question about Community Connexions please email us:

bchft.communityconnexions@nhs.net or 

hannah.ackom-mensah@nhs.net (Hannah Ackom-Mensah)

 

 

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