Team Up to help communities promote lasting health and wellbeing

‘Team Up’ is about London’s trainee doctors and dentists partnering with community organisations to promote health and wellbeing during 2012 and beyond.

Team Up is London Deanery’s official inspired by London 2012 Games Initiative.  We are bringing together teams of doctors and dentists in training and community organisations to form health education partnerships.

Team Up aims to help improve the health, fitness and wellbeing of Londoners. It will also provide opportunities for doctors and dentists in training, and students, to broaden their teaching and leadership skills and gain experience in community development.

What happens when?

We are no longer taking applications from organisations or health teams to take part in Team Up.  However we are considering running Team Up again in the future.  If you are an organisation who is interested in being informed of whether Team Up will run again next year, please email us at teamup@londondeanery.ac.uk to let us know.

What are the benefits of getting involved?

For community organisations it is hoped that involving enthusiastic teams of medical and dental experts in projects to educate, evaluate or motivate will bring health benefits to communities that last through 2012 and beyond.

For doctors and dentists in postgraduate training, medical and dental students and London Deanery staff, Team Up provides opportunities to advance organisational, teaching and leadership skills and work with local organisations on projects that improve health and wellbeing. We are looking at supporting this with electronic resources and access to dedicated e-learning modules, and we are also exploring providing leadership and management workshops.

What type of organisations are taking part in Team Up?

A range of community organisations are taking part, including voluntary organisations, ‘third-sector’ organisations, local NHS organisations such as health centres, GP and dental practices, and hospitals.

What type of partnerships is Team Up supporting?

Team Up is supporting projects that promote health and wellbeing in London which would benefit from input from doctors and dentists. These include projects that promote healthy lifestyles, are exercise-based, nutrition-based, or generally raise awareness about health, wellbeing and fitness or how to access and use the NHS.  Team Up is aimed at projects that go beyond the normal everyday business of an organisation, and can extend through this partnership the reach, depth, breadth and evaluation of work to reduce health inequalities. 

Who is taking part within the health teams?

Teams are made up of doctors and dentists in postgraduate training programmes with the London Deanery, Staff and Associate Specialist Grades in London (SASGs), students at London medical and dental schools and London Deanery staff.

Will there be awards for the best projects, and a way of sharing this learning to further the legacy? 

We are planning to recognise the best projects in the following categories.

1. Best educational legacy for trainees
2. Best educational legacy for partner organisations
3. Health impact on local communities
4. Most inclusive
5. Best evaluation / audit report
6. Most effective multi-disciplinary approach
7. Best legacy overall.

Towards the end of 2012 we will ask teams to prepare a poster with their partner organisation to showcase their work. We plan to invite teams and representatives from their partner organisations to an awards event in early 2013, and hope to select an overall winning team and partner organisation that can later present the learning to the next Olympic hosts. We are also seeking an externally sponsored award.

How does this fit with ‘Go London’?

Go London is a key part of London’s plans to generate lasting health benefits from the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Go London aims to improve the health and wellbeing of Londoners and health protection through 2012 and beyond. It includes health promotion activities as well as improvements to health systems, partnerships and processes. Go London embraces three themes:

• Healthy Londoners – these are the local, borough-wide and pan-London activities which harness the impact of the Games to improve the health and well-being of Londoners
• Healthy NHS – these are projects which help to develop a healthier and more productive NHS
• Olympic and Paralympic Games Inspired – these are the health-related activities and schemes which are being implemented to help facilitate and those that are inspired by the Games.

‘Team Up’ teams could involve existing legacy programmes that focus on health education. For example work under the Go London banner includes initiatives targeting children and young people at risk of obesity, people with learning disability or mental health conditions, and inactive older people.  Another idea is that a partnership could create opportunities for improved signposting to health services and public health messages.

Contact details

Email: teamup@londondeanery.ac.uk