Well Doncaster Annual Report 2021-22

We are excited to share with you our 2021-22 Annual Report

Well Doncaster has been the leader in using community centred approaches as the starting point in approaching local challenges and opportunities and know that embedding assets based approaches in the way we work with individuals, families and communities is crucial to the achievement Team Doncaster’s overall vision.

We have focused on demonstrating the impact of evidenced based community centred approaches and embedding the foundational principles of co-production, capacity building, investment, bold leadership and community voice within Team Doncaster. Public Health England has outlined four key elements for
change; Scaling, Involving, Strengthening and Sustaining. These elements are centred around core values of trust, power and relationships, values which have been at the heart of Well Doncaster since its genesis in 2015.

We strongly believe that we cannot close the health gap without involving and hearing from those most affected. Communities need to own and be a direct part of the design and delivery of solutions, working together with public services to build healthy communities and sustainable change.

Some of our defining characteristics include;

• A commitment to utilising community centred approaches in addressing health and wealth inequalities

• Encouraging and facilitating asset based conversations with residents

• Ensuring communities are involved in decision-making about where they live, work and play.

Our report shares a variety of community centred approaches undertaken at a individual, community and organisational level to reduce health and wealth inequalities across Doncaster. We share how we have been working with our key partner Get Doncaster Moving, the growth of Community Wealth Builder and Be Well Doncaster and the ways we have been embedding community centred approaches foundational principles as we scale out, involve residents and partners, strengthen relationships and communities and sustain positive change

In 2021-22 Well Doncaster has continued to be been a lightening rod of change across communities and partners. Creating opportunities to think differently about the way we work with our communities, approaches to commissioning, local intelligence gathering and local decision making. This has included continued support to the Voluntary, Community and Faith Sector (VCFS) to get back up and running safely by supporting the sector to have the skills, capacity and resources to adapt, strengthen and grow through pump priming, free PPE and training.

Our annual report is packed full of ways we are using community centred approaches at an individual, community and organisational level to address health and wealth inequalities. Read experiences from residents and communities, understand more about innovative approaches to local investment and see how we are influencing systems change.

This includes Community Wealth Builder (CWB), a person centred
approach to local economic development by providing support to new and existing social enterprises. Since 2020 the CWB Team have provided 824 hours of support to 230 social enterprises across the borough. CWB provide tailored support for organisations and individual at any stage of their social enterprise journey including; 1:1 coaching, networking or consultancy, to ensure the correct is given depending on individual needs and requirements.

Throughout 2021-22 Be Well Doncaster grew from strength to strength as it provide person-centred, one to one behaviour change support through trained Health and Wellbeing Coaches across the borough. The approach utilises motivational interviewing techniques and evidence based behaviour change tools to provide a person-centred approach to identify and address the root causes of ill health and improve the quality of life of each person supported. The approach is delivered in partnership with North, South and East Primary Care Networks and provide a one to one and population health approach to addressing inequalities.

A key part of approach is the establishment of a network of community based peer groups supporting people to manage their long term health conditions. Since August 2021 over 300 residents have attended 23 monthly the peer-led groups across the borough. The peer groups encourage people to develop their knowledge, skills and confidence to self-manage their health conditions, develop peer relationships and demonstrate what services/activities are available in their local community. The peer groups are shaped around the preferences, needs and values of the members.

“I wish I had found out about it sooner……I thought I was the only one living on my own and having to deal with this, now I have people to talk to. I have not been able to see anyone at the GP with this pandemic so having a respiratory nurse visit the group has been really helpful.”

Respiratory Conditions Peer Group Member

The Local Solution Community Investment Fund (LSCIF) which launched in 2021 was a test and learn approach to locality commissioning utilising community centred approaches. The LSCIF offered funding to community organisations of all sizes to support activity that meet community priorities
identified through local insight and intelligence to support organisations and communities recover from the impacts of COVID-19.

Through the different elements of the LSCIF included; Locality Community Dragons Dens, Community Investment Fund, Local Solutions Community Hub Grant and Community Booster Fund a total of £1,852,167.01 has been invested into 82 organisations across the borough.

The outcomes from the LSCIF demonstrate that embedding community centred approaches such as community insight through Appreciative Inquiry, World Cafés, participatory budgeting and participatory appraisals lead to innovative, hyper local support that is tailored to each community. Using these approaches provides confidence to all stakeholders, including communities and
commissioners that the funding will meet community priorities at a hyper local level and will be delivered in ways that meet community needs and aspirations.

Get Doncaster Moving (GDM) is a key partner of Well Doncaster and is a whole systems approach to transform how we address high levels of inactivity across the borough. As part of this, since December 2017, Doncaster have been one of twelve Sport England Local Delivery Pilots aiming to build healthier and more active communities.

Both GDM and Well Doncaster share the same values and principles, and seek to empower local people and trust communities to shape their own future. The GDM approach to addressing inactivity is built upon continual engagement, building strong and trusted relationships with residents, groups and services anchored in the community, which is helping to grow the network of people involved in supporting residents to be active ensuring community insight is behind all that GDM do.

One of the ways we are working together is through a network of local Community Connectors to support residents to try and make it easier for people to be physically active where they live. Community Connectors are there to support residents on a daily basis by signposting them to opportunities available to them in their area and encourage the community to create a healthy and active lifestyle. Their roles focus on enhancing the physical and mental wellbeing of their community by connecting local people together, with accessibility at the forefront of what they do.

Shaping Stainforth is a three year funded approach with The Health Foundation, focusing on laying the foundations for long-term change that will lead to a community that supports everyone to be
happy and have good mental health. Good mental health is associated with being able to pursue ambitions and be happier and healthier at work. Through creating a community more conducive to
good mental health, it is anticipated that residents will be able to feel more empowered to access opportunities and that businesses will consequently be supported to flourish.

The approach focuses son three key themes identified through community conversations:

• Increased engagement, voice and power of the community

• Stronger connections between community members, groups and organisations

• Greater visibility and celebration of assets and heritage and the development of new ones

In 2021 Well Doncaster established a Community of Practice (CoP), which is a group of 64 VCFS members who meet monthly to improve the health and wellbeing for the residents of Doncaster and to reduce inequalities in outcomes. The CoPs works jointly to ensure collaboration across Team Doncaster and aims to promote integration and partnership working between the VCFS, local authority, NHS and other local services and improve the local democratic accountability of the health and wellbeing of Doncaster residents.

The CoP utilises the expertise of it’s members in understanding the needs of the local population by leading the development of and monitoring the impact of the VCFS, shaping and influencing locality commissioning, fostering collaboration for impact and capacity building within the VCFS. Discussions have included worked centred around a collaborative approach to the 2021 winter plans, knowledge sharing, networking, collaboration around up and coming funding opportunities and sector insight gathering.

In 2022-23 Well Doncaster will be focusing on key areas including; championing local decision making, upskill workforce to deliver and challenge practice inline with evidenced based community centred approaches, re-shape commissioning and community investment approaches and understanding and mobilising the strengths and assets within Doncaster’s communities. We will continue to work towards reducing health and wealth inequalities, strengthen communities, embed community centred approaches across partnerships and improve the health and wellbeing of all.

Find out more about what we have worked on in 2021-22 by reading our full report