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Postiive Action Blog March 2021

Positive Action

My name is Loveness Scott and my role as positive action officer is to engage with ethnic minority communities and build sustainable relations that will improve access to our services and representation amongst our colleagues.

Through this blog, I aim to update you on how the project is going and how you can get involved.

Throughout March, I began meeting with some of our community organisations and had some great conversations about how we can work together. The response so far has been amazing despite the lockdown restrictions; we have managed some virtual meets and the project is now in full swing.

My first meeting was with Action Foundation, an award-winning charity based in Newcastle upon Tyne, and they work with asylum seekers and refugees. It was great to understand more about the work of the charity and how we can work together to empower refugees, asylum seekers and other migrants on how to access our services and the help available to them.

I also met with Middlesbrough Voluntary Development Agency, which is now in the process of linking me up with other community groups in the area. I’m really looking forward to working closely with John Atkinson, Community Action and Development Officer, in engaging and networking within the Middlesbrough and surrounding areas.

Some of the issues raised from my first few meetings are mainly around the difficulties the pandemic has caused in getting people together. The online networking platforms are not always accessible to all and some people did not have access to the technology and resources to engage with us. Esther, the Director of Save the Woman, welcomed the project as, from her experiences, it is important for the Trust to engage and learn more about the cultures, values and ways of the communities we serve.

As part of this project, we’re looking to train community ambassadors to help us share key messages, including educating people on key life-saving skills and have already received great interest. Training dates will be released soon, but if you’d like to learn more about what is involved, please email loveness.scott@neas.nhs.uk and I’ll happily tell you more.