Produced as a commission for Bradford's Women's Health Network, a short documentary about their work in bringing together women and service providers to help improve the health provisions within the Bradford District and Craven area. Cases studies are provided by some of the network’s members to show the impact they have had over the past nine-years. Title: Women’s Health Network Bradford District and Craven Health and Care Partnership: Act as One Sasha Bhat helped set up the...

Produced as a commission for Bradford's Women's Health Network, a short documentary about their work in bringing together women and service providers to help improve the health provisions within the Bradford District and Craven area. Cases studies are provided by some of the network’s members to show the impact they have had over the past nine-years. Title: Women’s Health Network Bradford District and Craven Health and Care Partnership: Act as One Sasha Bhat helped set up the Women’s Health Network in 2015 Sasha Bhat describes the Women’s Health Network as a space, a place and a forum for women and services to come together. As a group of women greet each other before the start of a meeting Sasha talks about it being a place where women can be creative as well as where they can understand, listen and lean together. Laila Ahmed Women’s Health Network Coordinator 2017-2022 explains that when the network started in 2017 it only had 49 members half of which were National Health Service (NHS) or council staff. As women hold a discussion during a meeting, Laila explains that the network now has 250 active members all of whom bring passion and enthusiasm. Aliya Fazil Women’s Health Network Member explains why women’s health is key and that the network is a safe space for women to talk about what is important to them and an opportunity to meet likeminded people. Lynn Walker another Women’s Health Network Member explains why the network is important as women are the hub of the family and if they are running on empty, they can’t give to other people. As she speaks a young mother watching her child doing a drawing. Sophie Di Mauro also a Women’s Health Network Member explains that for those living in Bradford District and Craven where you live plays a big part in healthy outcomes. She states that to those living in deprived areas, such as around central Bradford, life expectancy is 10-years lower than those in more affluent areas. She also talks about healthy-life expectancy which she describes as how long in good health someone will live and that the gap between where someone lives grows to 20-years less life. She believes these issues need addresses and that women in these areas supported. As she speaks a montage of clips in around the centre of Bradford. As Liz Firth Women’s Health Network Chair 2016-2018 holds a discussion with a group of women around a table, she talks about the work the network has done with women’s health services to explore issues and barriers facing women in the community and what can be done to address them. Sasha Bhat explains that from the information they had about services women were not accessing them in a way that they would want them to. She goes onto explains that from these women’s stories they learned to understand the barriers, poor experiences and negativities, but that it was important also to share the good things and to collect and to amplify them. Laila Ahmed talks about the involvement of Women’s Health Network in organisation focus groups with women and girls across the Bradford district to find out if they felt safe using the parks across Bradford and Keithley. She is most proud of the fact that the outcomes of these surveys she hoped will help shape national drivers and regional policies that have an impact on women and girls in the Bradford area. Julie Hodgins Women’s Health Network Member provides details on a project she is involved in entitled Muslim Families Screening for Life which is to educate men to talk about breast cancer screening and to find out if this would make a difference in the female community. As she speaks several groups of women talking including members of Bosom Friends, a post-cancer support group who were consulted as part of this project. On a noticeboard a series of Post-it notes with words like curious, creative and inspiring written in them. Bring the film to a close Sasha Bhat explains why she would recommend that a women’s network and safe spaces be set up in every areas where communities and providers can talk about how services can improve and reflect the support needs. She ends on talking about the importance of connectivity and having the humility not to be the power. Title: Women’s Health Network End title: Bradford District and Craven Health and Care Partnership: Act as One