Northern Investing for Health Partnership

The Northern Investing for Health Partnership (NIfHP), in conjunction with the Northern Health and Social Care Trust (NHSCT), recently hosted an event to share learning with a range of partners on the very successful Involving People Programme.

Ensuring effective cross sectoral and local community involvement in improving health and well being and tackling the underlying causes of ill health is a key priority for the Partnership. The Involving People programme was developed to build closer links between the statutory and community sectors and to strengthen capacity for working together.

The event held at the Tullyglass Hotel in Ballymena on 11 April attracted an audience spanning the 10 local council areas within the Northern area. Speaking about the event, Elaine O’Doherty, Advocate for Health & Wellbeing Improvement, with NIfHP described the event as: “An opportunity to inform key stakeholders and partner organisations about the outcomes of the programme and to share key learning experiences from both sectors that may help to shape and influence future working across a range of settings”. 

The event provided a summary of the programme evaluation findings, together with input from those involved with the project including participants who have benefited from the initiative. Speaking about the programme Mary O’Neill, Head of Community Development and Health Improvement with NHSCT said: “The Involving People Programme provides a unique opportunity for participants to develop leadership training and to equip them with the skills necessary to integrate community development approaches into their work.’

Through the programme participants attended nine facilitated training days and received mentoring and facilitation support to assist them to progress a range of health and well being projects within their local areas. These included health and well being events and activities such as tailored support and information sessions for carers of those suffering from Alzheimer’s Disease and risk management strategies for pre-school facilities.

The evaluation of the programme has highlighted that relationships improved between the statutory and community organisations involved in the programme, with enhanced credibility and respect from the public sector, leading to increased collaboration and a roll out of community initiatives. Additionally, the evaluation showed that in general community sector participants felt that they had ‘gained the confidence and skills to contribute to public sector strategies’.

The event at the Tullyglass was an ideal opportunity to provide potential participants with an understanding of the programme and a flavour of what they could expect from participation in future programmes.

The Partnership will fund the Involving People Programme for a further 3 years and NHSCT will continue to co-ordinate the programme. The next Involving People Programme is due to commence in September 2009 if you work for a community or statutory organisation within the Northern area and are interested in participating please contact Orlagh McGill - Northern Health & Social Care Trust on : Tel: (028) 2563 5573

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