Health Creating Communities
Maqbul Rose (Health and Wellbeing Manager) started working at Manchester Settlement in March 2022 and since then has been busy delivering various projects working WITH mainly BAME VCSE organisations to tackle health inequalities.
Find out a little about Maqbul!
“Professionally, my background has always been in the field of ‘Public Health’ initially as a National Project Manager working at Manchester University on a European-based research project. From this, I moved onto the role of Sustainable Development Advisor for Manchester Healthy Schools (another project manager role!) and left the role of Work Programme Manager at Healthwatch Stockport, conducting commissioned consultations/projects and reporting on the Healthwatch Work Plan to move to Manchester Settlement”.
I work in an engaging and approachable manner, producing and using resources to obtain views and opinions that suit the project outcomes. The resources can range from storyboards to Covid-19 Card ice-breakers, focus groups and flipchart activities. As part of the all the projects, I provide training, workshops and educational resources, so we can empower our project participants to enable them to support their own groups and communities. Event management has been key in some projects, providing a platform for organisations to showcase their amazing project interventions and celebrate the fantastic work that we are all achieving!
I have worked with many BAME VCSE organisations in North Manchester since I started, including the following:-
• Across Ummah
• New Leaf Foundation
• Malawi Heritage U.K.
• The River
• Rainbow Haven
• The Salvation Army
• The Guidance Hub
• Hopewell
• Caribbean African Health Network
• Bolly Fit Active
• CeeBee Gold
And it is always a pleasure to work with the groups, as I meet so many wonderful and inspirational people!
A big thank you to all our funders!
1COVID-19 Health Equity Manchester Project’ (CHEMS) - March 2022 – Sept 2022
The CHEMS project was funded by Manchester City Council to target communities facing racial inequalities (within the context of Covid-19). This section of the project focused on the strand concerning ‘the Covid-19 Conversations’ that were planned from April 2022 and the conversations were held from July 1st – July 31st, 2022.
AIMS
Engage with specific groups and communities to understand what is important to them, and how we can reduce the spread of COVID, severe illness and death in those communities
Support specific groups with the immediate indirect consequences of COVID-19 e.g., mental health, DV&A, Income loss etc.
Methodology
To enable the project model to engage with as many people as possible, a ‘Train the Trainer’ model was produced and delivered to group leaders and Covid-19 leads of targeted organisations which entailed developing a ‘structured approach’ to Covid-19 Conversations in 2 formats; (an activity-based session and a Focus Group) to ensure different techniques were employed to enable greater engagement from all ages (>12 years).
OUTPUTS
16 Covid-19 Health Equity Conversations were implemented covering areas around Manchester
123 people contributed to the Covid-19 Health Equity Conversation
10 organisations attended the CHEMS ‘Train the Trainers Session’
1 ‘Post Project Evaluation and Celebration Event’ held
Organisations received financial gain for their time
OUTCOMES
Main themes identified;-
• individuals mental and physical health
• access to health care
• the lack of information
• concerns about Long Covid
Recommendations
• Using the ‘Train the Trainers’ model,
• funding Community Hubs where appropriate to deliver projects and/or interventions to tackle health inequalities
• to build on the good work that Manchester Settlement has begun
• having information and/or resources available to Secondary Schools and the voluntary sector and to determine ‘why’ information to our BAME communities is ‘blocked’
All in all, the project was successful in engaging with BAME communities and to determine their needs.
For further information regarding the project, please see report, ‘ Covid-19 Health Equity (CHEMS) Conversation Project Report, (Sept 2022).
, “Enjoyed the whole experience and don’t want it to stop”. [Facilitator -Covid-19 Conversation”
Health Creation Project
Maqbul Rose is leading on a very exciting project in Partnership with the Health Creation alliance!
The Health Creation Alliance has a mission is to increase the number of years people live in good health in every community, with an ambition to ensure that Health Creation sits alongside treating ill health and prevention of illness, and that it becomes business as usual across the NHS system; and health creation is a PROCESS.
This process uses a framework to give individuals and communities a sense of purpose, hope, mastery and control over their own lives and immediate environment and when this happens their health and wellbeing is enhanced.
Ten organisations are involved in the project, and as part of the project, Maqbul is delivering the ‘What is a Health Creator’ session to all the groups to inform volunteers what a health creator role would look like. This report and pictures provide information on the session implemented at the Guidance Hub (report produced by The Guidance Hub).
For further information, please contact Maqbul Rose (Health and Wellbeing Manager) at Manchester Settlement vie email: maqbulrose@manchestersettlement.or.uk or tele:07354 610395.