What they wanted

To support staff across the HSE and Community and Voluntary services in the South Eastern Region to develop skills to work more effectively with clients from diverse cultural communities, and to develop a sustainable model for rolling this training out into the future across the HSE.

What we did

Developed an evidence based training programme called ‘Intercultural Awareness and Practice in Health and Social Care’ in partnership with NASC. This training drew from the theories of implicit bias, the Patient Centred Culturally Sensitive Healthcare Model, focussed on:

•  Harnessing an awareness of our own implicit biases as health and social care workers, and the impact this can have on people from minority communities
• Developing skills to support people from minority communities to navigate the various barriers they may encounter in accessing health and social services
• Developing skills to manage our own biases in high pressure work environments Impacting on organisational culture to promote better intercultural practices

This training was provided to over 100 professionals across the region, and a Train the Trainer programme was provided to a group of workers who will continue to roll this training out across the area.

 Visit the HSE Website

What they said

This project was an a very positive, effective, enthusiastic and enjoyable partnership between the HSE Social Inclusion CHO Area 5 and the Community & Voluntary Sector (NASC & Quality Matters) in the development, design and delivery of Intercultural Awareness in Health and Social Care based on identified need and national policy

Suzanne Nolan, Regional Community and Participation Officier, HSE Social Inclusion Office South East