Here are some of the organisations and people I am working with at the moment. Please get in touch through the comments page at the bottom if you would like to discuss projects.
Work up to 2022
Leeds Beckett University
Space to Connect
A programme commissioned by the Co-operative Foundation and DCMS
Originally intended to look at strategies for developing spaces to address health inequalities focussing on Community Anchors. However, most work was carried out almost exclusively during the pandemic years 202021. The programme switched to capture how community anchor organisations responded to the pandemic.
The findings from the programme including a discussion tool for local commissioners can all be found here.
Review of Camden and Islington Mental Health Trust – Patient and Public Involvement – 2019
This review which involved interviewing service users, patient representatives, clinical leads and governance leads in the trust led to the production of a strategic framework to enable the trust to strengthen its approach to patient and public involvement.
Independent Work
Assessment of country applications for membership of the WHO Europe Healthy City Network (with Jennie Chapman)
Work 2018/9 – with Leeds Beckett University
What Works for Wellbeing Centre – Community
What Works for Community Wellbeing a Public Debate
Local Area Coordination – all with Simon Rippon (Aligned Consultancy)
Haringey Council (2019) Formative Evaluation Haringey Local Area Coordination Programme
Waltham Forest Council (2018) Formative Evaluation Local Area Coordination in Waltham Forest
National Local Area Coordination Network (2018) Sustainability Strategies for Local Area Coordination programmes – a theeory of change
Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust
With Jennie Chapman – Evaluation of Leeds and York NHS Foundation Trust approach to public engagement
Independent work 2017/8
Health Equity Pilot Project European Commission and European Parliament
The Final Report from the Coaching Workshops is here.
Working in partnership with Chris Brookes from the UK Health Forum and Peter Goldblatt from the Institute of Health Equity facilitating 6 Workshops on health inequalities and alcohol, nutrition and physical activity in the Health Ministries of:
Work 2017/8 – all with Leeds Beckett University
East Sussex County Council
Work with Simon Rippon (Aligned Consultancy) developing an evaluation methodology for their Community Resilience Programme
Airedale, Wharfedale and Craven Clinical Commissioning Group
Interim evaluation with Judy White of their Enhanced Primary Care Programme – looking at the impact of their work on linking Social Prescribing, Physiotherapy and Frailty services to General Practice
Analysis of relationships that Community Foundations in England have with local Health Commissioners – in partnership with Leeds Community Community Foundation
Bradford CCG
With Jennie Chapman Continued evaluation of Bradford Peoples Board – see below
Support to the Communities strand of What Works for Wellbeing
Smaller pieces of work – such as support for Healthwatch North Yorkshire as they establish themselves as an independent organisation
Work in 2016 – all with Leeds Beckett Health Together
Dorothy House Hospice – working with them on the strategic approach to engaging the Public
Bradford City and District CCGs – reviewing the work of the innovative Bradford Peoples Board
Voluntary Action Calderdale – reviewing their Quality for Health Kite Mark
Voluntary Action Calderdale – review of a 3 year investment programme by Calderdale CCG into building capability in the Calderdale voluntary sector. The summary of the evaluation is available here
Review of Healthwatch Warwickshire – commissioned by Warwickshire County Council
Work in 2015
Recovery Enterprises – Sheffield Flourish Project – enquiry into how digital tools can help people with mental health conditions September to December 2015
Activity Sheffield – Supporting the strategic development of this local authority department. March 2014 to September 2015
ECORYS – review of sustainability strategies of projects funded through the Department of Health Health and Social Care Volunteering Fund. Completed Autumn 2014
NHSE London – Facilitation in partnership with Joanne Devlin from PWC of a pan-London Action Learning Set for CCG lay members responsible for patient and public engagement. September 2013 to May 2014. The summary report is here – London CCG Lay Members Final vii NT January 2013 to March 2014
Sheffield Clinical Commissioning Group – Non Executive Director with responsibility for Patient Public Engagement – from July 2013 to present
NCVO – consultancy support to Project Art Works helping them develop their forward strategy. Completed December 2013
University of East London – December 2012 to 2013
Developing an Asset Based JSNA in Greenwich
Health Together – April 2012 to 2016
Leeds Beckett University programme supporting citizen led approaches to improving health and reducing health inequalities. Work we are currently doing includes
- Work for Healthwatch England developing and testing a set of Quality Statements for local Healthwatch
- Review of Healthwatch Dorset – Autumn/Winter 2015
- Support as a consortium partner with Healthwatch in Wakefield and Leeds – April 2013 to present
- Review of Bradford District Care Trust Patient Public Involvement Strategy. A summary of this work is now available on the NICE shared learning portal here the full report which was presented to the Bradford District Care Trust is available here. Completed February 2014
- Support to work led by Jane Foot, Simon Rippon and Trevor Hopkins on Asset Based approaches to health and wellbeing.
other work Health Together has done includes:
- Working with Locality to produce a briefing paper on the contribution of neighbourhoods and community anchor organisations to wellbeing – Summer and Autumn 2013
- Work with Sheffield CCG supporting collaboration between the local voluntary sector and General Practice September 2014 to present
Walsall Council
In 2012 we worked with Walsall Council developing an Asset Based Approach to wellbeing in partnership with the Federation of Community Development Learning.
What Walsall said
“I have recently had the pleasure of working with Mark Gamsu from Health Together. I found him to be thoroughly professional and very supportive always prepared to go the extra mile. We particularly appreciated his understanding of community assets and how they could be developed.”
Sheffield City Council – Spring 2013. Facilitation of JSNA consultation events and support to review of Health Communities Programme
Yorkshire and Humber Public Health Observatory October 2011 to present
Delivery of a region wide programme to support the development of Joint Strategic Needs Assessments across 15 local authorities in Yorkshire and Humber. The programme has on an emphasis on the social determinants of health, engagement of the voluntary sector and commissioning and decommissioning.
Current work includes developing approaches to strengthen the voice of the VCS in JSNA – this is in partnership with INVOLVE Yorkshire and Humber.
Moving to an enhanced JSNA temperature check across 15 local authorities – the report is available here
Voluntary Sector and JSNA Report is available here
UK Health Forum May 2011 to January 2014
Co-ordination of a €3m Equity Action a joint action programme working across 16 EU member states supporting them to improve impact of policy on the social determinants of health inequalities
University College London Partners – January 2013 to October 2013
Working in partnership with Chris Drinkwater and Gail Findlay developing a collaboration between academia and the Ludwig Guttmann Centre (former Olympic Polyclinic) in Newham.
Local Government Association – July 2012 to March 2013
Support to Health and Wellbeing Boards and the commissioning of Healthwatch
Institute of Health Equity October 2011 to the October 2013
Development of an indicator set for London Local Authorities to allow them to respond to the impact that the recession and government policy responses have on health inequality