Connecting communities and creating opportunities for socialising, learning and work, can have a profound impact on our health. At Good Beans, we’ve been working on some exciting projects that are approaching this concept of community health with creative solutions.
The Marmot Review found that the health gap between wealthy and deprived areas has grown over the last ten years. Using a more holistic approach to health, such as social prescribing, aims to reduce this gap, and is steadily becoming more popular in the NHS and beyond. Now, as well as their medicine, someone can find themselves receiving career support, joining a club or learning new skills, while hopefully gaining purpose, security and better health outcomes.
The success of these integrated networks boils down to communication, between people, community groups, medical, and social services – and that’s where Good Beans steps in. We have been lucky enough to work on various creative communications projects with organisations working to improve community health.
Some of Good Beans’ health projects
- City and Hackney Neighbourhoods is an NHS programme that works in partnership with community groups across eight east London ‘Neighbourhoods’. Local people with complex health needs can be quickly referred to a mix of services tailored to them, thanks to direct communication between medical and social organisations. Good Beans recently created their new branding and web design, showcasing beautiful video and interviews by Yarrow films. Now Key workers are finally able to direct people to the Neighbourhoods website where they can find out more, learn about what’s going on in their area, and how to get involved.
- Nature’s Way is the culmination of years of research conducted by students at the Royal College of Art in partnership with Sheffield University and The Mindkind Projects. They found that connecting with nature is important for health, but that many don’t have the access to green spaces or activities to do so. We developed the Nature’s Way platform as a way to connect existing community groups, share knowledge and resources, and inspire people to learn the benefits of nature themselves. Website launching soon.
- GP websites are a vital resource, yet often badly serve patients. St Paul’s Way Medical Centre wanted a new website that put their local community first, and could offer more than typical GP services. Our design is highly accessible, with ‘explainer text’ to help guide the user, and a simple way to toggle between languages. Patients can now register online, book appointments and learn about local activities and community organisations that might be of interest to them. The site was recently audited and scored in the top 30% of GP surgery websites in London.
- The Grace Network is a social enterprise incubator, supporting and funding incredible businesses in Gloucestershire. At the core of their work is their Brimscombe Mill Hub, which is a welcoming space for people to meet, eat and visit the different businesses. Not only does it provide affordable goods and services and employment opportunities, but the hub has also quickly become a thriving centre for the community, contributing to the health and wellbeing of local residents. We are proud to be working with them as they embark on an exciting period of growth – watch this space! And if you’re in Stroud, go grab a coffee and see for yourself.
Working in community health? Get in touch and see how we can support you.