At Health Innovation West of England, we support innovators and the health and care system to develop and deploy innovations that improve healthcare. With more services moving online, it is essential we understand how digital health tools are experienced by people who are often excluded from shaping services.
We are inviting VCSE sector organisations in the West of England to partner with us to co-design a project to capture insights from Black and Brown communities across the South West. We want to explore how people access and experience digital tools, and the insights gained will inform the co-creation of resources to support the improved design and deployment of digital tools and pathways. Our ambition is to co-design workshops and other engagement activities that are inclusive, relevant, and engaging for local communities.
By sharing these valuable insights, innovators and healthcare providers can design and embed solutions that are more effective and inclusive, and meet real-world needs, while preventing the widening of health inequalities.
Co-design of the project will start in November 2025, with engagement activities taking place early in 2026. A budget of up to £20,000 is available for our VCSE partner collaborations. We may consider working with more than one partner if the budget allows.
What’s involved?
- Co-designing and delivering workshops, informal chats, or group sessions tailored to your community
- Exploring topics such as digital health access, inclusive design, and meaningful community engagement
- Ensuring the voices of your community are fairly represented in the development of new resources (not the design of current digital tools).
Areas of focus
Option A – Digital health behaviours and barriers
- The issue: Digital health tools risk excluding people who face barriers to care. If not designed inclusively, they can increase inequalities.
- Key question: How can we design and support digital health tools so that everyone can use them successfully?
Option B – Meaningful community engagement
The issue: Community engagement often feels tokenistic, with little benefit for participants. One voice is sometimes treated as if it represents many.
Key questions: What has worked well, and what hasn’t, when communities have been involved in shaping healthcare? How can we engage communities in ways that feel meaningful, empowering, and genuinely beneficial?
Participant value
Workshops will be co-designed around your community’s priorities. People will leave with something tangible that reflects their contribution, for example, a creative output, a visual summary, or a resource for the community. The aim is for the experience to feel worthwhile straightaway.
What we hope to learn
- How communities experience digital healthcare tools and innovation
- What helps people feel confident, supported, and able to engage
- Barriers such as access, trust, usability, or cultural relevance
- Practical advice for innovators to make digital tools more inclusive and relevant.
Who can apply?
We welcome applications from VCSE organisations based within the West of England, which comprises Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire, Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire, and Gloucestershire.
Find out more
If your organisation is interested in working with us, please contact us at healthinnowest.innovation@nhs.net by 17 October 2025. We’ll arrange a short call to discuss next steps and share our expression of interest document.
Posted on September 25, 2025
News you may like
National report highlights the role of PERIPrem in improving care for babies born prematurely
New national data demonstrates significant reductions in regional infant mortality rates New findings published by the National Child Mortality Database (NCMD) at the University of Bristol provide an important opportunity to recognise major progress in outcomes for premature infants and their families across England. The NCMD’s annual data release for the year ending 31 March…
Read more
New approach to adult ADHD services supports more timely care closer to home
Adults with ADHD in Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire (BNSSG) are set to benefit from a more accessible, primary care-led approach to assessment and management, as part of a national programme to improve adult ADHD services across England. Health Innovation West of England is supporting the local implementation of the BNSSG Adult ADHD Model…
Read more
National audit highlights strong outcomes for premature babies across the West and South West of England
The latest National Neonatal Audit Programme (NNAP) report highlights strong outcomes for premature babies across the West and South West of England, including low rates of mortality, late-onset bloodstream infection and preterm brain injury. Published by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health in October 2026, the NNAP report presents findings from neonatal care…
Read more
