We focus on four complex health issues more prevalent in urban areas
With the Social Progress Imperative, we've developed the first neighbourhood level, health-focused social progress index of its kind.
With Wellcome Trust
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Urban health
We’re testing how professional development for Black leaders in our communities can support our ambitions to reduce health inequities.
Partner: Do It Now Now and Inclusive Boards
Funding amount: £540,000
Duration: two years
Programme: cross-programmatic, part of our research and development work
Together with Do It Now Now and Inclusive Boards, we’re testing how professional development for Black leaders in our communities can support our ambitions to reduce health inequities, alongside supporting organisations to strengthen their diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) strategies.
Black people in Lambeth and Southwark are disproportionately affected by poor health outcomes. We believe a greater understanding of the intersections between race and poor health at a decision-making level will lead to improved and more equitable health outcomes in Lambeth and Southwark.
This programme will have two approaches, focusing on both individuals and organisations:
Our partner, Inclusive Boards, will recruit 20 Black leaders who are passionate about improving health outcomes and have strong links to Lambeth and Southwark. By delivering a programme of workshops, masterclasses and one-to-one mentoring, Inclusive Boards will support participants to develop the necessary skills to thrive in leadership roles that affect health.
Each participant will spend a year on a board, committee or advisory group in an organisation that influences health outcomes in Lambeth and Southwark, for example, those that influence decisions around housing, employment or health.
Inclusive Boards will also recruit 20 organisations across Lambeth and Southwark who share a commitment to addressing DEI. Each organisation will be supported to undertake a baseline DEI assessment to help them understand areas for improvement. As an organisation that is committed to being diverse and inclusive, Guy’s & St Thomas’ Foundation will be participating in this programme.
Do It Now Now will provide training, strategic direction and one-to-one support to organisations’ senior leadership teams and will facilitate a network of peer-to-peer learning between organisations.
This programme will be delivered over two years and will hope to recruit up to 40 participating individuals and organisations in total. Organisations are asked to make a £2,000 contribution towards the cost of this programme, if they can.
Find out more from Inclusive Boards.
This partnership aims to better represent the racial diversity in Lambeth and Southwark on the boards of organisations that affect health outcomes in our place. The partnership is based on the hypothesis that greater diversity at decision-making level will translate to better health outcomes.
For individual participants, this partnership will provide the opportunity to develop leadership skills through one-to-one mentoring, learning in practice and networking, all on an ILM accredited leadership programme. Board-level experience is highly valued by employers when recruiting for strategic leadership roles and we anticipate this programme will aid promotions and senior-level executive appointments.
The unique focus in addressing systemic racism in organisations will equip participants to drive change in organisations that affect health in Lambeth and Southwark, ultimately leading to more equitable health outcomes in our place. The programme will also support individuals to take similar steps at executive or board level in their future career.
For participating organisations, this partnership will provide training and practical support to develop their DEI strategies, with a baseline assessment and an action plan. Organisations will be supported to drive ambitious plans for racial equity at every level from governance to recruitment, retention and service delivery. We believe these plans will, for example by addressing issues such as ‘bad’ or precarious work, lead to better and more equitable health outcomes in Lambeth and Southwark.
Black people in Lambeth and Southwark are disproportionately affected by poor health outcomes. There is no single reason for this health inequity; it is the result of a complex set of issues, including systemic inequalities such as racism. This partnership is designed to help influential organisations whose work affects health become more aware of these issues so they can proactively address them. Improving health inequity means taking a holistic view of how our health is connected to the places in which we live.
Health equity in Lambeth and Southwark is deeply influenced by the leaders of organisations and communities in our place. Business leaders and board members take decisions that affect health inequities because, across communities, there are many complex social determinants of health, such as income, housing and quality of support networks.
Organisations that influence health outcomes need to better understand the needs of minoritized communities and ensure that everyone has an equal opportunity to experience good health. This is currently not the case in Lambeth and Southwark.
This programme will test a solution to break the links between race and poor health outcomes. By improving the racial diversity of decision-makers in organisations that influence health outcomes in our boroughs, we are testing whether a greater understanding of how race influences health outcomes translates into more equitable health outcomes.
Rowena Estwick, our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Strategy and Operations Manager, is co-leading on transformational leadership across Impact on Urban Health and Guy's & St Thomas' Foundation with Radhika Bynon, our Portfolio Manager.
Research and development
With The Social Innovation Partnership (TSIP)
With Innovation Unit