Posted on: 6 February 2025
The Princess Royal visits CNWL Occupational Therapists to explore their leading research on reducing health inequalities. The team is optimistic that their findings will pave the way for fair access to OT services for the Somali community and others, both nationally and internationally.
Church End in Brent was severely impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic, with over 30 deaths on a single street, highlighting the stark health inequalities across communities.
The local community is collaborating with CNWL and local partners to rebuild trust in health services through Brent Health Matters. This program focuses on working with residents to address a wide range of issues, including mental health, diabetes and asthma.
The central focus of the new research project is utilising the connections made through Brent Health Matters and showing occupational therapy (OT) can meet the needs of diverse communities by being culturally relevant and inclusive, and in return improve access to healthcare for all.
The Princess Royal is Patron of the Royal College of Occupational Therapists, during her visit, The Princess spoke to multiple groups, learning how OTs in various settings - like inpatient and community services - engaged with the research project. She spoke with local charities who represent the Somali community in Brent and have been the lead collaborators and advocators in reducing health inequalities. She also talked to patients about their journeys, one patient sharing how her OT helped reduce her medication and become a person she could rely on to truly understand her needs.
“I was honoured to present HRH The Princess Royal to showcase the OT research taking place in Brent in collaboration with the Somali Community as well as spotlighting OTs in Brent and Trust wide. She was engaged in conversations and was really keen to know about OTs, where they came from and their journey and how they impacted the local community. She was really impressed with hearing from our patients and was moved to see how much OT had an impact on them individually. She was keen to highlight the important work taking place in Brent and hope that these projects can be replicated nationwide” - Varsha Chauhan Gawde, an occupational therapist who works with young people locally.
“Doing things with communities, rather than to communities, has entirely changed the impact we have been able to make on health inequalities.” explained Cllr Neil Nerva, Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care, Public Health and Leisure.
