Black Country health workshops held to address health inequalities
A series of events to help tackle health inequalities have been hosted across a community.
In partnership with Gulshan Radio, the NHS Black Country Integrated Care Board (ICB), has organised six community events at venues across Wolverhampton, including Jamia Masjid Bilal Mosque, Bob Jones Community Hub and Guru Tegh Bahadur Gurdwara.
The events were an opportunity for people to meet and talk with health, social care and community teams, and get advice on a range of topics including diabetes, adult and child obesity, cancer screening, cardiovascular risk, dementia, and social isolation.
Those attending were also given the opportunity to have their blood pressure, blood sugar and body mass index checked and were signposted to their GP with a note if they required further investigation.
Dr Aaliya Goyal, Primary Care clinical Leadership Executive for Health Inequalities, Ethnic Minority Health and Population Health for NHS Black Country ICB, said it had been important to work with communities to make these sessions work.
She said: “We know that not everyone accesses primary care in the same way and that some communities may not be aware that they are at higher risk of certain long-term conditions.
“The engagement at the events has been fantastic so far and attendees came away with useful and practical advice on what they could do to reduce their risk in the context of their diverse heritage.”
Gulshan Dhingra, chairman of Gulshan Radio, said: “With the incredible support of the NHS team, Gulshan Radio has brought health workshops to community centres and places of worship in Wolverhampton.
“To help promote the events, we have hosted Q&A sessions live on radio between our listeners and NHS clinicians to discuss symptoms and other health concerns to encourage people to come forward if they need help or advice.
“These workshops, along with free health checks, have been well received by the community."
