Crawley Access Guides launched

Crawley Community Action has been working with NHS Sussex as part of our Living Healthier Lives project.

Over the last 18 months there’s been a big focus on breaking down health inequalities and improving access to health services in Crawley. This is to ensure services meet the needs of the local population, now and in the future.  Working in partnership with charities including Crawley Community Action, local communities and partners, NHS Sussex has developed new information guides to help people in Crawley know more about their local health services and how to access them.

The involvement of communities across Crawley has underpinned the development of the resources. The initial idea came from the findings of the ‘Let’s Talk Crawley’ conversations that involved listening to the views of hundreds of Crawley residents in the Autumn of 2022. This found that people were often unaware of the ways that could get the services and support they need.

To help with the development of the resources, community leaders and representatives were asked to set out the information they wanted to see and how they wanted it presented. NHS Sussex worked with local partners, including local government and the voluntary and community sector, to bring the information together. The wording and design of the guides was then tested and further refined with local people.

The ‘we’re here for you’ guides cover a wide range of topics including –

• maternity,
• emotional wellbeing and GP,
• urgent and emergency care,
• useful information on interpreters,
• transport
• getting help with healthcare costs.

In addition, tailored information has been developed for specific Crawley communities that have been identified as experiencing particular barriers to good health and care. These include the homeless, armed forces veterans and refugees and asylum seekers.

Each of the access guides have been translated in 13 different languages to enable people to access the information they need in their first or preferred language. You can access all the ‘we’re here for you’ guides via the NHS Sussex website: Your guide to getting health care in Crawley – Sussex Health & Care (ics.nhs.uk).