Evaluation of the Community Champions Programme: Creating a network of community champions

Norfolk and Waveney Integrated Care System (ICS) recently received funding after a successful application to NHS England to address immediate vaccine inequalities whilst additionally seeking to lay the foundations for better health systems working to reduce inequalities in access to health care more broadly. The funding will be used to create a network of ‘Community Champions’ – individuals that have been trained to undertake conversations within communities about people’s health with the aim of supporting an increase in access to care.

Norfolk and Waveney Integrated Care System are supporting the development and delivery of a county-wide Community Champions programme across Norfolk to support COVID-19 vaccination uptake, with a focus on four areas: Thetford, Norwich, Kings Lynn, and North Norfolk (incorporating Holt, Weybourne and Cromer). The overall aim is to create resilient communities who are supported to engage with health care services and partners to protect themselves and others against COVID-19.

Norwich Institute of Healthy Ageing (NIHA) will evaluate the Community Champions programme.

There are three components to the evaluation as follows: 1) feedback from Community Champions’ on the training programme they undertook to identify any recommended improvements, 2) an outcome evaluation of the Community Champions programme which will focus on examining the themes raised by members of the community during their conversations with Community Champions, and 3) a process evaluation of the Community Champions programme to understand what worked and any challenges, which will be used to inform the wider roll-out of the programme going forward.