EACH Project
The EACH Project (July 2011-June 2014) was a collaboration between the East of England Strategic Migration Partnership, the Health Service and community groups run by and for minority ethnic women in the eastern region. The project aimed to bring representatives from the community groups together with health professionals to improve outcomes for both, now and in the future. There were two strands to the project:
EACH Community Health Ambassador Training
EACH for the NHS
Health professionals received FREE training from minority ethnic community 'ambassadors' about their healthcare needs and cultural preferences. This project benefited those who work at the sharp-end, meeting patients and guiding them to services to improve their health and well-being and want to see an improved take up of these services. Please see below for details of the Community Groups which work in your area.
The project was also of benefit to those managing health teams or implementing the Equality Delivery System who want to understand their service users better and learn about what data to capture to enhance that understanding. Please take a look at our promotional DVD to get a flavour of what the workshops were about: Workshop 5 minute promo.
EACH for Community Groups
We were funded by the European Integration Fund to work with Community Groups run by and for women who have come to the UK in the last ten years from outside Europe (but not those who have come through the asylum/refugee route) - so-called '3rd country nationals'. We went through a tender process and these were the community groups which delivered culturally competent health improvement training workshops for health service professionals. The groups are still operation even though the project has now finished, so if you are interested in contacting them, please get in touch with one of the EACH team members (contact details at the bottom of the page).
- Norfolk: The NEESA Project
- Peterborough: Borderline and Peterborough Local
- Commissioning Groups, Millfield Medical Centre
- Cambridgeshire: Cambridge Ethnic Community Forum
- Bedfordshire: Advice Training and Advocacy ICI
- Luton: Equality in Diversity
- Hertfordshire: MUSKAAN
- Southend and South Essex: Southend Association of Voluntary Services (SAVS)
- North Essex: Bangladeshi Support Centre, CSV Media Clubhouse in partnership with Anglo-Chinese Cultural Exchange
- Suffolk: Bangladeshi Support Centre, CSV Media Club House in partnership with Anglo-Chinese Cultural Exchange
EACH working with Translators and Interpreters Training
Building on the Commissioning framework for language support we worked with a range of local translating and interpreting agencies across the region to deliver best practice, cost effective guidance for health professionals who work with clients with language needs. Below are the agencies we worked with. Again, if you are interested in working with them, please get in touch with EACH team members below.
- Norfolk: INTRAN
- Cambridgeshire and Peterborough: Cintra
- Bedfordshire and Luton: Hertfordshire Interpreting and Translating Service (HITS)
- South Essex and Southend: INTRAN
- North Essex: Translating and Interpreting Provider (TIP)
- Suffolk: Translating and Interpreting Provider (TIP)
- Hertfordshire: Hertfordshire Interpreting and Translating Service (HITS)
What did the project deliver?
Having mapped the health needs and NHS barriers encountered by some new migrants to the East of England, we delivered 129 EACH workshops across the east of England. There were separate sets of free workshops for NHS staff taking place across the region on 'intercultural awareness' and 'working effectively with interpreters in healthcare settings'. Over the life of the project we reached over 1500 delegates, with most rating their sessions either 'good' or 'excellent'. Our community groups also facilitated twelve 'Open Dialogue Workshops' where groups of newly arrived migrant women met with NHS staff to be able to hear first hand the experiences the women had had using the health service. Detailed findings from the project can be found in the ODW final report May 2014.
What next for when the project ends?
We have been awarded funding from the European Integration Fund to deliver ACCESS project for front line local government and other public sector staff working with new migrant communities from outside Europe. It is a one year project starting in July 2014 to deliver at least 30 workshops across the East of England. Please see this link for further information: ACCESS project and our contact details for any further questions you may have regarding both EACH and ACCESS projects.
Rachel Heathcock t: 07920 257952 e: [email protected]
Louise Gooch t: 01284 758308 e: [email protected]
Gosia Strona t: 01284 758324 e: [email protected]
EACH Project legacy documents
Guidance on planning and delivering cultural awareness workshops