Designing services with people who have experienced trauma can help make them more welcoming, accessible and supportive for those who might otherwise struggle to access healthcare, according to new research published in Health Expectations. Collaborative approaches to improving healthcare can be tailored to take account of people’s experiences of trauma. This work builds on learning from Bridging Gaps, a collaborative project between NIHR ARC West and the Centre for Academic Primary Care at the University of Bristol.
Bridging Gaps is a group of women who have experienced complex trauma, for example, experience of addiction, homelessness, mental health problems, sexual exploitation, domestic and sexual violence, and poverty. They are improving access to primary care using co-production and trauma-informed principles, working alongside GPs, researchers and staff from Bristol charity One25.
Dr Helen McGeown, one of the authors of the article and Honorary GP Consultant at the Centre for Academic Primary Care, University of Bristol, said:
“Relationships are at the heart of these co-production processes. It’s only by ongoing, long-term relationships with all partners that we hope to achieve delivery of care that is meaningfully ‘trauma-informed’. We call for adequate funding for the delivery of trauma-informed care and highlight the need for longevity of funding.”
Further details about the Bridging Gaps project are available on the project page.
Further information
- This study is funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) School for Primary Care Research (project reference 465).
- Read the full article here
Republished with thanks to The University of Bristol.