Funder: Research Engagement Network Development Fund (NHS England)

Partners: Black Country Integrated Care System (ICS), Wolverhampton Voluntary Community Action (WCVA), Black Country Together (BCT), Black Country VCSE Health and Wellbeing Alliance

Sector: Third Sector

Overview:

The aim of the Black Country REND programme was to increase the number of people from under-served communities taking part in health and care research. The project elevated trusted voices and existing connections between people and communities that face the poorest health outcomes and local Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) groups and organisations. VCSE partners recruited lived experienced researchers from diverse communities and supported them to tell and share their stories.

People’s Voice Media was responsible for embedding Community Reporting into the project as the tool for working with lived experience. Through the work we enhanced the capacity of the VCSE workers to use Community Reporting in their work, gathered qualitative insights on people’s health experiences using digital stories and built community-led intelligence, supporting the creation of a story bank that can be used to inform strategic decision-making. We did this through a series of storytelling workshops, training and knowledge exchange events.