“The reason I got involved in the cultural competency process is because I trusted the engagement team setting up the training - they really listened to our views.

“The engagement team persuaded our local GPs that the cultural competency training will allow them to get a better picture and understanding of their patients’ needs. They were also told how it would enhance all their team relationships; from the receptionist, to the practice manager and pharmacist… it will all have a positive effect.

“I appreciate that doctors are always aiming to serve our patients better and get the best outcomes. So having an understanding of different cultures is a vital part of this understanding. For example, in our [Somalian] culture, if a woman wants to talk about her pregnancies, sexual health or an infection there is no way she will discuss this with an older man, nor would a man with a health condition have the confidence to disclose this to a female doctor. It's more to do with culture than a religious belief.

“Cultural competency training also means that residents don't have that awful embarrassment of having to speak to a receptionist about what you might be going to see the doctor about. You can discuss your issue in private and in confidence - there’s no public listening in to your conversation.

“When we heard that the GP training has been recognised nationally and that practice managers and receptionists will all undergo the training that has personally given me a lot of satisfaction, because we’ve helped to bring about that change.”

Abdullahi Ali, Founder and Executive Director at Baraka Community Association

Zohra Davis, the mental health & wellbeing project lead at Al-Hasaniya Moroccan Women’s Centre, details the mental health support and groups the organisation provides to support Arab-speaking women in North Kensington who have experienced trauma, whether that be domestic abuse, the recent earthquake in Morocco, or the Grenfell Tower fire.

Back in the 1970s and 1980s, the Grenfell Tower was nicknamed the Moroccan Tower, as a significant number of Moroccan families settled there. It was a happy and close knit community, with the women assimilating into the community well. Many parents took up steady well paid jobs in the hospitality industry so they could provide for their families.

Today it is much harder to settle because of housing and general welfare issues. Indeed, at Al-Hasaniya Moroccan Women’s Centre, where we serve the health, welfare, educational and cultural needs of Moroccan and Arabic-speaking women and their families, we have noticed a direct correlation between the decade in which the women first arrived in the UK in terms of the impact on their emotional wellbeing and resilience. Women who arrived in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s typically fare better than women who arrived later simply because they were housed and there was a simpler process to get various benefits and other support.

However, it was the Grenfell Tower fire in June 2017 which has changed this community forever: the loss was so huge. At Al-Hasaniya we personally knew whole generations who died in the fire, so it is unsurprising that there is a long waiting list for our post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) group sessions held twice weekly by our specialist psychotherapist, who dedicates a day to supporting the survivors and bereaved of this tragic event.

Because the loss was so great we have had to find other ways to support this traumatised community. Our cous cous sessions (where women gather to chat around a bowl of this traditional food) are well attended by the older generations who love to reminisce, but our sewing group and Tuesday group– both set up for Grenfell-affected women – is also popular with women in our community. The beauty of these groups is that it’s brought everyone together from different backgrounds.

Those who attend the once a week sewing sessions and weekly Tuesday group therapy (which is funded by RBKC) have been referred by their GP after experiencing depression, anxiety or other mental health issues. They might have gone to their GP complaining of feeling pain in their arm, but the reality is grief, loss or loneliness. These are very real emotions shared by this group; we have a mother and daughter whose sister died in Grenfell. Another lost her uncle, auntie and three cousins. The sewing sessions (which run from 11am to 3pm) allows a significant amount of time to relax and chat, without it being a ‘formalised’ therapy session. I fundraised and bought the group four sewing machines costing £1,000. I act as their representative for a range of health and social problems they might be experiencing. I’m their voice and know how the system works, so I provide advice on a whole range of issues, liaise with the council and help them fill in forms.

The group has bonded really well to the extent they all bring in food to share and cook at lunchtimes, so they can eat their lunchtime meal together. I have one firm rule that they’re not allowed to bring negative gossip type dialogue into the group – it’s a clear boundary.

We also help them with their medication, and I am proud that we have helped some of them to reduce their anti-depressant medication, or even come off it altogether (under GP supervision).

We know the group has also significantly reduced the number of visits to the GP and trips to A&E, but the savings in human terms are even greater than the fiscal ones. We can see the women leave the sessions feeling brighter and just a little bit more ready to face the world.

The Al-Manaar Cultural Centre played a crucial role in supporting the NHS during lockdown, to encourage 1,000 members of their community to take the Covid vaccine. Abdurahman Sayed, the centre’s chief executive, explains why this partnership mattered.

During the Covid pandemic there were a lot of conspiracy theories about the virus and vaccine, which was causing a high level of concern in the North Kensington community. This was a community that was already struggling with the after effects of the Grenfell Tower fire disaster in 2017. There was a real sense of distrust in the community towards any ‘official’ communication, whether that be from Government sources or even information derived from other sources.

This is where Health Partners such as the Al-Manaar Cultural Centre played such a vital role; listening and responding to community concerns in a culturally appropriate manner and making sure their communities received the correct health advice, but were not pressurised into making a decision either way.

If individuals decided to proceed with the vaccine, Al-Manaar signposted them to local NHS vaccination centres, which had Al-Manaar volunteers who were trained by the NHS and spoke to members of the community in their own language. This proved extremely effective and led to a rise in vaccine uptake, demonstrating the value and effectiveness of true partnership working. Most importantly, they responded to a core need that presented itself – and this coordinated response undoubtedly saved many lives.

Abdurahman Sayed: “We wanted the community to access information from the right sources, so we worked closely with local NHS GPs. Our first priority was to seek assurance that some of the doctors & researchers involved would be ethnic speakers, to reach different members in our communities, such as people from the Arab and Somalian communities.

“Lockdown meant we couldn’t initially hold meetings in person, so these meetings were organised by zoom. Our concern was the difficulty in reaching some of our vulnerable and high risk elderly members, many of whom weren’t digitally literate, so couldn’t readily access support or information.

“With support from their children, we decided to run these information sessions on a Sunday afternoon, when their grandchildren wouldn’t necessarily need to access the family computer. This proved really successful, with many older people able to access and receive tailored information in the language they understood.

“We also agreed with the NHS to train our own community volunteers to provide advice at Al-Manaar, using the NHS’s mobile clinic. Over 10 volunteers were trained here and later on this was extended to St Charles hospital and the Central Mosque in Regents Park.

“We wanted to tackle misinformation. We weren’t pressurising people to agree, or not agree. We said come along to hear qualified people speak and hear the issues – and then make up your own minds.

“The community felt comfortable coming along to the centre as they knew the advice would be given in their own language. “

Our work was recognised and appreciated by the NHS – and the successful outcome of our collaborative approach meant that over 1,000 people (including some of the our most vulnerable members), received the Covid vaccination as a result of Al Manaar Cultural Centre’s intervention.

One GP wrote afterwards to say there was an especially vulnerable elderly patient and member of our community, who only agreed to taking the Covid vaccine because of the digital sessions.