Health Inequalities Community of Practice - Aylesbury

The Health Inequalities Community of Practice is a regular forum for people working or volunteering on the 'frontline' in health, social care and support organisations who have a common interest in supporting people in Aylesbury experiencing health inequalities.

The Community of Practice is a safe space for those working directly with people in the Aylesbury area to learn from each other, share knowledge, ask questions and explore solutions to benefit local people based in day-to-day practice.

It is for social workers, community nurses, community pharmacists, social prescribers, health and wellbeing coaches, care navigators, mental health practitioners, advice workers, advocacy providers, social support workers, outreach workers as well as staff and volunteers in foodbanks, faith-based or community organisations and anyone addressing homelessness, substance misuse, or supporting refugees and asylum seekers. This list is not exhaustive; this is not a forum for senior managers or CEOs.

Each facilitated meeting will explore a theme and bring in those working and volunteering in communities with expert experience and knowledge and, where possible, those with lived experience.

This January session's focus will be on the VCSE Mental Health Collaboration project.

This is funded by Oxford Health and led by Joy O’Neill at Community Impact Bucks. Joy will share with us details of the work and findings of this collaborative project, including research conversations with over 150 voluntary sector organisations in Buckinghamshire, focus groups, a working group and a co-creation Day in October. There will also be a discussion about next steps. This will provide an excellent opportunity for us all to think about whether and how outcomes from this project might help us in our everyday work supporting Buckinghamshire residents and how we might become more involved.

In Aylesbury, we'll be joined by speakers from Buckinghamshire Voluntary Sector organisations Mind Over Mountains and Bucks Goat Centre, who will talk about the support they deliver in the community, as well as a member of the project working group who will share their lived experience perspective of mental health and advocacy.