New report shows the impact of our community wellbeing clinics

We've really pleased to launch our new report, which shows how our community wellbeing clinics are supporting diverse communities in Bristol. Read on to find out what the new report says.

About our community wellbeing clinics

Our community wellbeing clinics have been running since May 2022, and they've grown quite a bit since then. Now they're happening in four different places in our communities: Easton, Barton Hill, St. Paul’s, and Fishponds. We also have a mobile clinic that travels around in a van.

At these clinics, we provide health advice and support in easy-to-reach spots. Our staff speak many community languages to make sure everyone can understand. We offer basic health checks like:

• Height

• Weight

• Blood pressure

• Blood glucose levels

We also chat with people about things that can help improve their health, such as vaccinations, cancer screening, and stopping smoking. We encourage lifestyle changes to improve health.

Our clinics also people with health conditions such as diabetes. We help people understand about their condition, and learn how to take their medicine. If someone finds it hard to get a doctor’s appointment because they don’t speak English or they don’t have a computer, we can also help them.

Our healthcare professionals have built relationships within Bristol’s diverse communities over time. We are trusted people in these communities, and this helps us make sure that correct information about healthcare gets to everyone. Without this, people might turn to family and friends, internet groups, or other people to get information. Sometimes information from these places can be incorrect.

Who are the people who visit our clinics?

Our report covers the period from May 2022 to June 2023. During that time we had1164 visits to our clinics. Out of these, 997 were first-time visits, and 167 were follow-up visits. Most people who visited us were aged 30 to 59. Slightly more men visited us than women. Men tend to seek healthcare less often. Our drop-in clinics in community locations, with staff that speak their language, have played a big role in encouraging them to use our services. The majority (69%) of our clinic visitors come from a Black African background, with most people being of Somali origin.

Health issues in our local communities

Many of the people who visited our clinics over the last year were overweight:

• 24% of women were in the healthy weight range, with 43% falling into the obese or severely obese category.

• 39% of men were in the healthy range, with 16% being classified as obese or severely obese.

Diet plays a role in health risks, especially among ethnic minority communities who often have traditional diets. We provide relevant information and advice on healthy eating and offer picture-based recipe books. This helps people make healthier versions of their traditional meals.

We also found that many of the women who visited our clinics were not very active. Over half of women aged over 30 said they were ‘inactive’ or ‘moderately inactive.’ However, 63% of men said they were ‘moderately active’ or ‘active.’

Physical activity is really important for people from ethnic minorities, who may be at higher risk of diabetes and high blood pressure. We believe women from our communities may not want to exercise if there is a lack of culturally appropriate and low-cost exercise classes and gyms. We are working with local partners to change this.

On their first visit, only 33% of our visitors had a blood pressure reading in the normal range:

• 23% had readings showing high blood pressure.

• The remaining 44% were ‘at risk’ of high blood pressure.

Most people we talked to were unaware they had high blood pressure or were at risk of high blood pressure. By having early conversations with them, we encourage them to change their lifestyle or get medication from their GP.

Our clinics also provided support for cancer screening. This is sometimes viewed as a taboo among ethnic minority communities. Through our clinics, we worked hard to raise awareness and encourage people to get screened.

How we help through ‘preventative healthcare’

As this blog post shows, our community health clinics help us to encourage people to take care of their health. This stops them from becoming ill in the future. We encourage healthy habits, support people through diagnosis and treatment, and help them understand how to manage their health conditions. While it's hard to put a figure on it, every person who learns to manage their health conditions reduces the need for further NHS healthcare in the future. It's all about making healthcare more accessible and effective for everyone.

Download our Community Wellbeing Clinics report here.