Inclusive Neighbourhood Health

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Background

A key focus of the Government’s 10-year health plan is to shift care from ‘hospital to community’. Providing access to services and support more locally, where and when individuals need it, should improve outcomes, provide more joined-up care and reduce the burden on acute services. Neighbourhood health places the individual at the centre of their health and care and the Government’s recent neighbourhood health framework is designed to ‘to give power to people’ and make local services more effective and useful.

SPHR research has consistently demonstrated the value of neighbourhood health approaches and, in particular, the positive impact local community groups have. In this case study we have chosen to highlight two examples which focus on how to best to support and empower ethnic minorities, as neighbourhood health initiatives need to work for everyone.

Our research and why it is useful

Improving mental health outcomes for disadvantaged young men: the role and efficacy of VCSE services in Northern England:

Common mental health conditions, like anxiety and depression, have risen and suicide is now the biggest killer of men under 50. Disadvantaged young men have disproportionately poorer mental health outcomes and there are also clear racial disparities in mental health. As little is known about how young men, particularly from minoritised groups, manage their mental health and access support within their communities it is vital we improve this understanding.

A systematic review of what is known about the impact of community resources for the mental health and wellbeing of disadvantaged young men was undertaken. The researchers directly engaged with young men through community projects in South Yorkshire and the Northeast, allowing young men’s voices to be heard and their experiences to be shared. The research was designed and conducted in collaboration with community partners, such as Unity Gym.

CLARITY+ Collective reimagining of community-led public health evaluation from the perspective of racially minoritised communities:

People from ethnic minority backgrounds often experience worse health outcomes than the white British population. There are many community organisations across the UK supporting people from ethnic minority backgrounds. However, their work is not properly valued and is also poorly understood.

The CLARITY+ project has brought together community organisations serving people from ethnic minority communities in Sheffield, Rotherham, Birmingham, Dudley and Coventry to share what they consider their most successful/unsuccessful initiatives. Together they are designing and trying out new activities and ensuring that the work community organisations do is seen and valued. Community and researcher relationships in this, and previous projects (e.g., in the CLARITY project), have fostered the inclusion of individuals from minority ethnic groups in health research, encouraged greater participation and has enabled partnerships to develop into strong and trusted relationships.

Both the men’s mental health and CLARITY research projects have directly benefited community-led organisations working to improve the health of racially minoritised communities across the Midlands and the North of England, and provided evidence of vital role the organisations undertake.

Real world impact

These projects support government priorities to shift care towards prevention, tackle health inequalities, and invest in local, place‑based (neighbourhood health) support models.

Benefit to the community:

A series of CLARITY+ collaborative events have generated discussion with over 800 people, moved evaluation from “extractive” to “empowering,” and allowed community groups to define success on their own terms.

“I am very happy and grateful to the researchers for providing us with a platform, especially as communities like ours are often described as “hard to reach. CLARITY has shown that if you know how to engage with people and build trust, no community is unreachable” – Irfana Ahmed, Aston Dard group
“Being part of the CLARITY+ project has opened up many opportunities and greatly enhanced my practice as a community leader and community-based researcher. It has equipped me to make a more positive contribution to my organisation and the wider community, especially in the areas of public health, wellbeing, and participatory research” – Ade Johnson, Coventry Central Hall, Coventry.
“This has been the first time in nearly 14 years that my organisation has been running that I have gone onto a project that is looking at change and I can actually see from the direction the project is going in that this will actually happen” – Ursula Myrie, Adira, Sheffield.
“Being involved in the Clarity+ project, feels rewarding and very satisfying. Knowing that this research will have such a great impact on the communities” – Tracy Jarret, Adira, Sheffield.

“Through the Clarity+ project we have been able to engage with and develop relationships with new organisations not within the voluntary sector but with public services. We have started a conversation among us as voluntary organisations and academics about unidentified health needs that the health sector has not recognised/understood and thus supported appropriately. Had it not been for the Clarity+ these would not have taken place” – Zlakha Ahmed MBE, CEO of Apna Haq in Rotherham.

“For the first time, our organisation was represented as a community organisation at a health conference. This was a significant milestone for both me and our organisation. CLARITY gave us the confidence to present ourselves as a community organisation, especially at a time when we felt underconfident because of social perceptions that often associate us only with faith-based work” – Aysha Shaikh-UKIM Alum Rock, Birmingham.

The men’s mental health project has also benefitted the community partners involved.

“Reflecting on the research I conducted in my community about young men and mental health, I have to admit I was sceptical at first, not really knowing what to expect. However, thanks to Will, the entire experience turned out to be incredibly enjoyable and enlightening. The opportunity to give voice to a demographic often overlooked in mental health discussions was deeply rewarding. Seeing the impact of our findings on challenging preconceived notions and fostering more open conversations was truly fulfilling” – Khaliil, one of the projects community researchers.

Raised awareness of the issues and increased collaboration:

The men’s mental health project received BBC media coverage on regional news, the BBC web pages, BBC Radio Sheffield, BBC News and featured in an NIHR blog as part of Men’s Mental Health Month: ‘If we want to support men’s mental health, we need to talk about wellbeing’.

The CLARITY+ project has held 12 Showcase events, which have been attended by nearly 600 people. These events have facilitated new collaborations for organizations working with vulnerable families. Eight blogs have been written which have challenged and improved the quality of engagement, reducing research fatigue in these communities. Several of the blog posts have been co-written by non-academics. The project team have also developed community-facing web pages to help keep everyone informed on what’s going on and developed peer-to-peer learning sessions to facilitate knowledge exchange across geographical and racial boundaries.

Helped to shape policy and practice:

The men’s mental health project has directly informed regional service transformation in North Yorkshire:

“The Unity Gym research project has really shaped our transformation work by helping us see that gyms and physical activity spaces could be safe, supportive places for young people, and we’re excited to keep building on that learning together.” – Steph Selwood, Head of Children and Young People’s Mental Health Transformation North Yorkshire Council.

The project team have also submitted evidence to the Men’s Health Strategy for England which stresses the importance of commissioning community-based services that offer culturally competent support to young people in their neighbourhood. These points were echoed, by the research lead, at an event discussing the next steps for the National Youth Strategy.

The West Midlands Knowledge and Action Partnership (WMKARE) – which originated from the CLARITY project – won the 2025 Universities Association for Lifelong Learning (UALL) award in the Institutional Partnerships category. The award recognised WMKARE for “innovative partnership working and engagement that creates change in a regional and local context.” The video of the WMKARE (on the SPHR YouTube channel) has had over 26,000 views.

In addition, the participatory approaches used in both research projects demonstrate that by trusting community leaders with early data access and collaborative analysis, providing opportunities for capacity building and networking, and compensating them for their time and expertise – it is possible to actively repair power imbalances, build long-term community assets, and strengthen local neighbourhood ecosystems through sustainable national links.