by Stephanie Powell
The Promoting Health Equity Student Selected Component (SSC) provides space for third year medical students to consider how social factors and lived experience impact health, access to healthcare and health outcomes, and how they can apply this understanding in their career. After a session exploring health equity, students spend two sessions with local community organisations to encourage their understanding of the health priorities of different groups.
Hammersmith United Charities provide small grants for community initiatives and run almshouses. Here, students toured the almshouses and met with residents at their weekly coffee morning, discussing what about their health matters most to them. Urban Partnership Group runs a variety of community services. Students visited their Edward Woods community centre to hear more about their work and joined an Adult Education English class, discussing health priorities and inclusive access to healthcare for all patients regardless of their level of English. Mosaic LGBT+ Young Persons’ Trust supports young people in London who are part of the LGBT+ community through a variety of initiatives, events and support. Here, a panel of community members discussed their experience of LGBTQ+ health and answered questions from students.
The organisations involved are keen to engage the next generation of medical professionals, highlighting what really matters to the communities they work with. Each session is co-created with them to ensure that they are mutually beneficial.
“We are keen to engage medical students to shine a light on Almshouses and activities occurring in our community that have a positive impact on health. We hope it is helpful to understand potential ways that medical professionals can collaborate with community organisations for the benefit of their patients. Our residents are always happy to speak to students about their experiences and answer any questions they may have.” Victoria Hill – Chief Executive Hammersmith United Charities.
Creating space for students to visit community organisations has proven useful for them to develop an understanding of community priorities. Reflecting on their experiences, students identified areas they had not previously considered, for example how people may be concerned about calling for an appointment because of fears that their English is not “good enough.” Others reflected on how older adults might be just as agile and engaged at 90 as they were at 60 and that having a community around them can help them avoid becoming isolated or lonely. Some students also suggested that clarifying pronouns could transform a consultation, ensuring they were not making assumptions which may affect patient care.
In their own words “The community organisation visits were great! Learnt so much.”
This SSC runs every term for third year medical students. If you would like to know more or have any thoughts, reach out to Community Collaboration Lead Stephanie Powell: stephanie.powell@imperial.ac.uk