Deadline Extension: Increasing Earlier Diagnosis of Breast Cancer in African Caribbean Women – Co-design funding available – apply now!

Black Country Integrated Care Board want to hear from Black and African Caribbean women about how they think the early diagnosis of breast cancer services can be improved.  They are inviting local groups and organisations across the Black Country to collaborate with them on a project to increase earlier diagnosis of breast cancer in African and Caribbean women.

The project has 2 stages:

Stage 1: You will be asked to host conversations with local women that identify and understands any barriers and stigmas to attending screening appointments or presenting at GPs with symptoms.

You can do this in a way that works for you and the women you work with. There will be 2 initial meetings to attend in this stage; the first at the very start to give you information on the project and the types of questions you might ask. The second being at the end of the conversation period to come together and talk about all the rich insight you’ve gathered. The Board would also like to use this stage to introduce the team informally and drop in to visit you during any of the activities where you are hosting these conversations.

Stage 2: Once the Board understand the barriers, they would invite you to a workshop to take what you’ve heard, and co-design interventions or activities that will facilitate change. The women from the conversations are welcome to join in this process, but numbers will be limited. The workshops will be led by the University of Wolverhampton, following a process they have recently successfully used to work with The Royal Wolverhampton Trust and other groups of people.

There is funding totalling £20,000 for bids to support with the costs and time commitments of speaking to local women and attendance at the workshops. Additionally, the Board would also fund any room hire and refreshments that you may have available for them to utilise for the conversations and workshops. There is a separate pot of funding to implement the interventions and activities that are designed in stage 2.

Timelines and Commitments:

Stage 1 conversations

• Kick off conversation: 9th February
• Round up conversation: 9th March.

The Stage 2 co-design workshops will take place across the afternoons of three dates, and you will be required to attend them all: 16th March, 23rd March and 30th March.

Send your expression of interest form to involve.blackcountry@nhs.net by 1st February. The Board will be in touch with successful applications by 3rd February.