Reaching Communities and Tackling Health Inequalities
Bedford is a very diverse Borough with 1 in 3 people in the towns of Bedford and Kempston being from BAME groups, compared to less than 1 in 8 in rural areas. Up to 100 different ethnic groups live in Bedford Borough, with a much higher proportion of people from BAME groups residing in the 10% most deprived Wards (Queens Park, Castle, Harpur and Cauldwell and Kempston) which are categorised in Index of Multiple Deprivation as most deprived Wards in Bedford. Our Community Hub is based within the Cauldwell ward and we work across Bedford and Kempston to ensure community members in need can access our services and support.
On average across the Borough men in Bedford can expect to live to 79.9 years, and women to 83.2 years, with 63.2 years of healthy life for men and 65 for women. However, for those in the deprived areas of Bedford, the life expectancy is 11 years less.
These differences in health outcomes are known as health inequalities – unfair and avoidable differences in health across the population, and between different groups within society. Health inequalities arise because of the conditions in which we are born, grow, live, work and age. These conditions influence our opportunities for good health, and how we think, feel and act, and this shapes our mental health, physical health and wellbeing.
Health inequalities are said to adversely affect groups of people who have systematically experienced greater obstacles to health and generally associated with variation in a range of factors that positively or negatively influence our ability to be healthy. These include Factors commonly understood to contribute to health inequalities include:
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ACCM (UK) is able to reach and engage those from BAME and other vulnerable communities that many organisations are either unable to reach or are unaware of their needs. Most BAME community members face additional barriers due to their cultural, religious, and family beliefs, including some of which are taboo and hidden that impact on their health.
We run activities both outreach in other community centres and at our Cauldwell Community Centre at Althorpe Street with following activities:
Health and Wellbeing
Health and Wellbeing is a state of complete physical, mental and social-wellbeing and our work is all about Inclusion Health and Reaching out to communities and individuals who are:
- are socially excluded
- typically experience multiple overlapping risk factors for poor health (such as poverty, violence and complex trauma)
- experience stigma and discrimination
- are not consistently accounted for in electronic records (such as healthcare databases)
These experiences frequently lead to barriers in access to healthcare and extremely poor health outcomes.
To tackle health inequalities we undertake the following:
- Exercises and yoga to keep fit
- Counselling to reduce anxiety and stress
- Community Hub run Free Coffee Mornings to get people out of their homes, meets other, share stories and make friends
- Gardening for health in spring and summer enable people to get out, be active, grow herbs, vegetable or fruit for health
- Health cooking, cooking on a budget to improve health on a budget
- Trips to the beach or London to give people a holiday
ESOL
To empower learners with English speaking, reading and writing skills to enable them to communicate effectively, support and engage with families and communities at large and manage their day to day lives such making GP appointments or shopping or getting opportunities into paid employment, volunteering to gain work experiences or take up further education.
IT – Digital Equality
This is when some people do not have access to internet, smart phone, computer or knowledge and ability to use digital tools and technology especially amongst elderly, and minority and other vulnerable members of our community. The inset of Corona Virus in 2020 made the situation worse for those with no access to digital services or with no knowledge as to how to us digital technology. We run IT sessions – FREE to improve digital skills and empower those without with knowledge to access digital technology anywhere to improve their employability skills, making appointments or searching for information, learning via virtual learning report a crime or communicating with loves ones or authorities. Sessions also improve employability as people can search for jobs online, complete application and undertake interviews securing jobs improves income and health and lives.
Counselling
This is provided in house by our qualified and Registered Counsellors to support our users who have faced trauma or abuse or any issues that have impacted on their lives to help them understand what has happened to them, build their confidence, and self-esteem, confident to contact authorities or seek help, to enable them to make informed decisions to rebuild their lives. We provide free 6 initial sessions after assessment. Further sessions can be provided if the specialists Counsellor, after discussions and further assessments, thinks are required.
Counselling can be undertaken face to face or by telephone whichever is suitable.
Skills and Development for Life
These include ESOL, IT and other activities that will help users/Learners to gain paid employment to be economically independent or volunteering to gain experience, confidence and a reference that will go towards supporting them in their new jobs.
Other activities include learning how to job search online, completing job applications online and manually, use of social media such as emails, Facebook, X (formerly Twitter) internet/website to pay bills, search information, make appointments or communicate with employer, service providers and more, so they are fully engaging in their communities especially with the Council or GPs.
We also do sewing, knitting or creative arts, skills to help around the house such mending old clothing into new, knitting or creative arts helps as therapy if experiencing stress or anxiety.
Due to increasing Cost of Living, ACCM (UK) is working in partnership with the Bedford Borough Council, to provide sessions in Maths and Managing Money. These sessions are oversubscribed as many of ours want to know how to live healthily and pay their bills on a budget, especially if they are on Social Benefits.
Community Hub
Cauldwell Community Centre will soon be a Community Hub – A Warm Safe Place for vulnerable and other members of the community to use.
For example, the Warm Safe Place supports homeless people with a trusted place to visit, get a hot meal or a coffee, while they get help in securing a safe accommodation, counselling, encouraged to join our Skills and Development sessions or gain other information to help them rebuild their lives.