At NHS Dorset, relationships and partnerships underpin meaningful engagement and our approach to working alongside people and communities to improve health outcomes and reduce health inequalities.
As a public engagement team, we aim to foster and strengthen relationships, understanding and listening, and have community led conversations with people and communities across Dorset’s geography, demography and diversity.
We have engagement guidance that is in line with national statutory guidance and duty and lists a number of steps that should be taken, including the equality impact assessment process and audience analysis – supporting systematic consideration of the 9 protected characteristics and which groups and communities are more likely to experience health inequalities.
By working alongside people and communities we can provide them with information and opportunity to be involved in ways that suit and are accessible to them – growing trust and understanding and removing barriers to engagement and communication.
Please see document that lists a number of our community connections.
Importantly this is a working document and is evolving all the time. (Latest update November 2024).
