New student partnership
Local Students help NHS explore new ways to engage local communities
Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Integrated Care System (ICS) have joined forces with Anglia Ruskin University to explore new and innovative ways in which the NHS can engage better with its local communities on key challenges faced within health and care locally.
Students at the Heart of Knowledge Exchange (SHoKE) is an innovative platform, enabling students from Anglia Ruskin University to work alongside partner organisations to research, develop ideas and analysis. In return, organisations gain valuable insight and perspective from a diverse and talented panel of students on key social issues.
Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Integrated Care System invited SHoKE to look at how the NHS could engage better with its local communities on four specific project areas - sustainability, mental health, accessing emergency care, healthy lifestyles and location and infrastructure.
Laura Halstead, Head of Communication and Marketing at Cambridgeshire & Peterborough ICS, said “We’re always looking for new ways to listen, engage and involve our local people and communities to shape the future of our services. Working with SHoKE has enabled us to explore issues from a different perspective, to take a fresh approach and challenge the ways in which we work and think about some common issues.
“We’ve been impressed with the professionalism, creativity and enthusiasm the students have shown and look forward to working alongside them in the future as we implement some of their suggestions, especially with our student communities.”
Trudy Lynch, SHoKE Partnership Facilitator said “I am very proud of the work of SHoKE and our students. Anglia Ruskin University is a close working partner for the NHS in the East of England and we are focused on contributing to the wellbeing of our region.
“Our students commitment to the NHS and the community we all support is second to none. With the guidance and support of professional teams, such as the Communications and Marketing team at NHS Cambridgeshire & Peterborough, our students apply their knowledge and expertise to the key issues identified by our partners - working together to bring benefit to everyone involved.”