Further Information
How we wrote this report
This report was written by the Big Leeds Chat working group. It is based on the notes made by the professionals who went out to each of our local areas and community settings.
At each Big Leeds Chat event, chat makers and decision makers teamed up into pairs to have conversations with people. As they did so, they each made notes, with the chat makers recording what people told us, and the decision makers recording their own reflections about the conversation and how we could make Leeds the best city for health and care.
Decision makers and chat makers asked people the following three questions:
1. How has it been for you over the past 18 months?
2. What things would help you improve your health and wellbeing?
3. What could make your area a happier and healthier place to live?
The working group identified key themes from all the notes gathered each day. The chat makers’ notes are summarised in Part 2 of this report, and the decision maker feedback in Part 1.
If you would like to see the full set of notes for any Local Care Partnership or Community of Interest, please contact the People’s Voices Partnership.
Glossary
Chat maker: Chat makers are professionals working in health and care in Leeds. They volunteered to facilitate the conversations we had in each Local Care Partnership and Community of Interest. As well as recording what people told us (see Part 2 of this report for details), they helped the day run smoothly.
Decision maker: Decision makers are professionals working in health and care in Leeds who led the conversations with people at each Big Leeds Chat. Their jobs give them the opportunity to shape health and care services in the city. Their reflections are set out in Part 1 of this report.
Local Care Partnership: Local Care Partnerships are designed to offer “joined-up working to deliver local care for local people, working in and with local communities”. There are 19 across Leeds, and they are organised geographically.
Community of Interest: Communities of Interest are groups of people who share an identity. In Leeds, the Communities of Interest network enables “two-way communication between the public sector and third sector organisations that represent communities facing health inequalities”.
People’s Voices Partnership: The People’s Voices Partnership brings together involvement leads from across health and care organisations to work together as one team. It was set up by the Leeds Health and Wellbeing Board to help improve involvement across the city and avoid duplication. Our shared aim is to put people’s voices at the centre of health and care decision making in Leeds, and in particular the voice of people living with the greatest health inequalities.
Leeds Health and Wellbeing Board: The Health and Wellbeing Board is a group of senior representatives from organisations across Leeds, including Leeds City Council, the NHS, the community sector and Healthwatch Leeds, which represents views of the public. It helps to achieve our ambition of Leeds being a healthy and caring city for all ages, where people who are the poorest, improve their health the fastest.
Third sector: The third sector is a term used to describe non-profit organisations that aren’t part of either the public or private sectors. An alternative name for it is the “voluntary and community sector.
What we learned at previous Big Leeds Chat
At the Big Leeds Chats in 2018 and 2019, there were a lot of shared themes about what matters most to people, although there were some differences too. Below is a very quick summary of what people told us at those two
Big Leeds Chats.
- Living in a big city
- Friendly people
- City centre shopping and market
- Diversity of cultures and cuisines
- Nearby countryside and green spaces
- Diet
- Exercise and fitness
- Spending time with family and friend
- Accessing GP practices
- Lack of time effects participation in healthy activities
- Cost
- Public transport
- Information
- Environment
- Healthcare
- Employment
- Communities
- Housing
- Education
- Community
- Nearby countryside and green spaces
- Shopping and places to eat
- Culture and entertainment
- Easy to get around
- Public services & facilities
- Self-directed
- Excersise class/centre
- Healthy Diet
- Family & Community
- Self-care
- Hobbies & interests
- Avoiding alcohol & smoking
- Work
- Engaging with health services
- Better transport
- More inclusive communities
- Improve health and care services
- More health education and promotion
- Look after the environment
- Improve community facilities & public spaces
- Tackle poverty and homelessness, and improve housing
- Make gyms, exercise classes and other services more affordable
- Deal with crime
- Less fast food
