Understanding the barriers

Cervical screening plays an important role in preventing cancer and improving health outcomes. However, data showed that screening uptake among South Asian women and people with a cervix in Wandsworth was lower than among other groups.

Wandsworth Care Alliance worked with health partners, local voluntary and community organisations, faith groups and residents to understand why and to listen directly to the communities affected.

Barriers included language, the complexity of medical information and the sensitive or taboo nature of cervical screening. Trusted community and faith settings were therefore important in creating spaces where people could speak openly and ask questions.

Bringing communities into the conversation

WCA played a central role in coordinating community engagement and building partnerships. Using existing relationships with local voluntary and community organisations, the team identified organisations that could help reach South Asian communities and developed new relationships with community and faith groups.

Four community engagement sessions gave residents opportunities to share their experiences, concerns and information needs in trusted and culturally appropriate environments.

The project brought together NHS South West London Integrated Care Board, Wandsworth Public Health, RM Partners, local GP practices, IVAR, voluntary and community sector organisations, faith groups and WCA.

Turning community insight into action

Feedback from residents directly influenced the resources developed through the project. Working with partners and community members, WCA supported the co-production of multilingual information materials, including:

• A frequently asked questions document
• A cervical screening leaflet
• An awareness video featuring local volunteers

The resources were designed to make information clearer, easier to understand and more culturally relevant, while promotional materials were shaped to better reflect the communities they were intended to reach.

A community-led approach

The project demonstrated the value of listening to communities before developing solutions. Co-production meant that residents’ experiences and feedback helped shape the content, design and accessibility of the resources rather than decisions being made on their behalf.

Working through trusted organisations, faith groups and familiar community settings also helped create safer spaces for sensitive conversations. Combining this community insight with specialist public health and cancer prevention expertise meant the project could be evidence-informed while remaining responsive to local needs.

What we learned

Communities are more likely to engage when information is:

• Culturally appropriate
• Easy to understand
• Available in relevant languages
• Shared by trusted people and organisations

The work reinforced the importance of building relationships, listening first and adapting engagement to the cultural and language needs of local communities.

The Wandsworth Cervical Screening Project would not have achieved the level of community engagement it did without the support of Wandsworth Care Alliance.

Fenn Porter — Public Health Lead, Health Protection, Serving Richmond and Wandsworth Councils

Looking ahead

The project has shown what can happen when health services, public sector partners and community organisations work together and put community voices at the heart of decision-making.

WCA will continue to use community-led and co-produced approaches when working to tackle health inequalities, building on the relationships and learning developed through this project.