Update on the Well Newham Challenge cohort 2
The Council’s Public Health Team is working with Newham Hospital to run the Well Newham Challenge programme in the hospital. The programme funds and supports hospital staff to pilot new interventions that aim to improve the health of Newham residents by addressing the non-medical, social factors that can impact their health and wellbeing for up to 12 months. All projects taking part use quality improvement (QI) methodology and are supported by both QI and public health team members.
The programme empowers and supports hospital staff in all roles, and at all levels of seniority, to harness their expertise and experiences to improve the wider, holistic care provided to Newham residents. The aim of these projects is to further support the people of Newham in looking after and improving their health, and where possible, to reduce their need to visit a healthcare professional.
The second cohort of the programme finished November 2024. The summaries of the projects and their achievements are below.
| Cohort | Project Description | Progress and Outcomes |
| 1 | Bangladeshi Diabetes Carb Swap Booklet | – Designed the booklet in partnership with the community and with patient input – Booklet is available in English and Bangladeshi – Booklet has been approved by Barts Health Trust for use in diabetes and dietetic patient care. |
| 1 | Newham-Specific, Translated Bowel Cancer Screening Flyer | – Developed a short and simple flyer that explains the bowel cancer screening process – Translated into Bangladeshi, Sylheti, and Urdu – Tested the flyer and translations with patients to ensure it was acceptable – Flyer has been approved by Barts Health Trust Patient Information Reference Group (PIRG) – A communications plan to distribute the flyer across London Borough of Newham is now underway |
| 2 | Pregnancy Loss Peer Support Group | Implemented a series of peer support group sessions which encouraged users to share experiences, enabling them to ask questions and to make support connections with others going through similar experiences, thus reducing isolation, and improving confidence in the healthcare setting.Awareness of the group is increasing; next steps is to run a monthly drop-in session and to further evaluate uptake and outcomes. Focus now is on formalising the sessions for sustainability; sessions will continue following the conclusion of the WNC. Quote from user: “When I first started and didn’t know if this would help me but I really wanted to try a therapeutic method. The group really helped in having someone who went through the same thing as me. When I joined, I felt like I was heavy-hearted, close to depression and thinking about taking medication. After the group, I felt lighter. I cried often but it was the release I needed.” |
| 2 | High Intensity User Project | Trained 10 Emergency Department (ED) professionals on assessing and managing the unmet holistic needs of patientsSurveyed ED staff to assess unmet educational needsSeen an increase in the number of referrals and contacts made to the HIU team as part of this work.Next steps is to conduct individual case reviews to provide additional learning opportunities for staff. |
Cohort 3 of the Well Newham Challenge commenced in January 2025 with 2 projects selected as part of the programme:
| Cohort | Project Description |
| 3 | Recurrent UTI Support: This project seeks to address the gaps in the diagnosis, treatment, and management of recurrent UTIs, with a focus on the socioeconomic and psychological burden they impose, particularly on ethnic minorities and non-English-speaking populations. |
| 3 | Postnatal Information: This work aims to address health inequalities for birthing people particularly related to information barriers at the point of discharge, removing the likelihood of misunderstandings for when to seek follow-up care. |
Updates on these projects will be shared in due course.
