Community Conversations will shape a healthier future for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly

More than 1000 conversations are underway to hear from local people about how to make Cornwall and Isles of Scilly a healthier and better place to be born, to live and thrive and grow old. 

This is all part of our ‘Community Conversations’ engagement programme to reach as many people as possible, with a particular focus on speaking to people facing the most health inequalities.

The findings from the chats and online survey will be used to shape the final version of Integrated Care System's 10-year strategy. This sets out how partners from the Integrated Care System will work together to plan, deliver and improve local health and care services.

Staff and volunteers from across the system are getting out and about across the areas to hear from a range of different people, attending local events, community groups, visiting local hospitals and GP surgeries.

Kate Shields, Chief Executive of Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Integrated Care Board, said:

"We want to make Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly a healthier and better place to be born, to live and thrive and grow old. 

"The future of our health and care services must be based on the experiences, feedback and ideas from local people across Cornwall and Isles of Scilly.

“Our community conversations will ensure we put the voices of our people and communities at the heart of when we plan, deliver and improve services".

Steve Williamson, Chief Executive at Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust, added:

"Listening to our local communities and making sure they have a voice in shaping the health and care services they need, is a crucial part of our planning for the future. 

"As we celebrate 75 years of the NHS we can reflect on the amazing advances we have seen; together we can keep making those strides and ever-improve the care we give from the start to the end of life".

Debbie Richards, Chief Executive of Cornwall Partnership NHS Foundation Trust said:

"I echo Steve's sentiments regarding the importance of listening to our local communities. We want to use these conversations to ensure we hear from as many people as possible about what is important to them, especially from groups who often go unheard or who find our services harder to reach.

"We are currently transforming our community mental health services, and engaging with people who use these services is vital to ensuring they get the help they need in the way that is most supportive to them".

Our Community Conversations plan

• The team have visited the Isles of Scilly farmers market, council offices and health centre, with a return visit planned for later in the programme
• The team have joined local events, including Pride, the Royal Cornwall Show and Armed Forces Day.
• The team are visiting 20 health settings, including GP surgeries, community hospitals and mental health facilities
• The team are attending toddler, family and youth groups
• The team are joining community or medical condition support groups
• The team are joining Cornwall Council's rural mobile library
• The team are attending specialist events to hear from people with hearing loss and lived experiences

Alongside face-to-face chats, people can also complete our online survey, running until the end of September 2023.