Published Tuesday 4 April 2017 at 13:21
One Voice has been commissioned by Blackburn with Darwen Council to deliver the fifth phase of its Baiter Sehat (Better Health) campaign in the borough.
The community interest company – which aspires to create an inclusive, cohesive and vibrant community in Blackburn and Darwen – will continue to deliver a programme of community engagement initiatives across the borough, on a range of health issues.
Over the last year the Baiter Sehat campaign has done work around emotional health and wellbeing, drugs and alcohol, dementia, adult safeguarding and suicide.
One Voice has also worked hard to gather intelligence and insight from hard to reach groups, especially in the BME community, who might find it difficult to access care, support that meets their particular needs and as a result more likely to experience poor health.
The commission, which is an extension of a long-running contract, will form the basis for phase six of the Baiter Sehat campaign. In the previous four years One Voice has carried out over 80 focus groups, over 45 community engagement events and held four Health Melas. In total the organisation has engaged with over 10,000 hard to reach members of the community.
Executive Member for Health & Adult Social Care at Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council, Councillor Mustafa Desai said:
We are delighted to be able to continue the national award-winning better health campaign with One Voice in 2017/18. This programme of targeted education, information and community engagement is a key way to prevent illnesses and improve life expectancy. It will also reduce avoidable demand on health services.
Chairman of One Voice, Abrar Hussain, said:
As we enter our fifth phase of this contract we will continue to improve the life chances of the most deprived communities in Blackburn and Darwen, where health inequality remains a challenge.
The Baiter Sehat campaign will continue its innovative stance in a sustainable manner so we can see tangible results in the local community.