Community-led Learning Action Network launched to tackle heart attacks and strokes

Gypsies, Irish Travellers and people of Black African, Caribbean and Indian heritage have joined a Learning Action Network, designed to find powerful, community-led solutions to reducing heart attacks and strokes.

The Learning Action Network builds on the landmark Denny Review, which was published in September 2023, exposing stark health inequalities in residents from ethnic minority backgrounds.

Led by Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes Integrated Care Board and the Institute of Healthcare Improvement, the network brought together residents from communities where there is a high risk of cardiovascular disease and worked with them to find solutions to reduce heart attacks, strokes and hypertension (high blood pressure).

Sarah Stanley, chief nurse for Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes Integrated Care Board and senior responsible officer for the Learning Action Network, said:

“The Denny Review highlighted that some communities are hit harder than others by conditions like hypertension. Our area has some of the poorest outcomes in the country for hypertension and so we need to act now to prevent premature death and disease in our communities.”

Pedro Delgado, vice-president of the Institute of Healthcare Improvement (a global leader on systems improvement) and a partner to the local health board, said:

“At the heart of this learning network is a shared goal to ensure equity is woven through everything we do, partnering with residents who are at risk of hypertension, as they become active participants in their health and in their care.

“Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes Integrated Care Board shares our belief that a community-driven approach could prevent heart attacks and strokes every year for the next three years—a game-changer for families and communities alike. Furthermore, communities and their supporting teams will gain (reusable) improvement skills they will be able to apply to any other challenges into the future”

Attendees shared stories, ideas and experiences, shining a light on the unique challenges their communities face when it comes to accessing healthcare.  From cultural stigmas to practical barriers like language and lack of trust in the system, no stone was left unturned.

Rev Lloyd Denny, pastor at Restoration Revival Fellowship (Luton) and chair of the review which bears his name, said:

“I am delighted to see what we heard in the Denny Review being applied to prevent disease in our communities.  It’s so important that we take a community-centred and personalised approach to delivering care.  It’s not just about telling people to lose weight, eat better and take their medication.  We need to bring conversations about health into our homes, our churches, mosques, temples, and our daily lives.”

The event wasn’t just about talk, but action.  Residents, community leaders and health and care professionals developed plans to engage communities in conversations about their care and considered how these could be rolled out across the area.

Dr Jane Kocen, GP at King Street Surgery and Inequalities Lead GP for Bedford Place, highlighted the importance of the work ahead:

“Uncontrolled hypertension is the greatest risk factor for cardiovascular disease that we can do something about, and those with the highest blood pressure are at the highest risk of future heart problems.  By working together, we can break down barriers and help people make small changes that save lives.  This is about equality, empowerment and better health for everyone.”