First year with the African Deep Engagement Partner
The African Deep Engagement Partner (DEP) have completed the first year of their 3-year programme.
Focus group 1 topic: Nigerian community - vaccinations and immunisations
Objectives
- Gather information from the Nigerian community in Birmingham to help create public health strategies
- Understand communication preferences and what makes it hard to use health services
- Explore how they feel about vaccines and immunisation
- Identify participants for cultural competence training
Findings
- Mainstream media is not trusted — people prefer WhatsApp, word of mouth, social media, YouTube, churches, and faith networks
- People are not using health services because of misinformation, not enough access to reliable information, potential costs, and religious beliefs
- Information in local languages (for example, Pidgin English) and outreach through religious centres are more effective
- Participants doubted vaccine safety and felt NHS information was incomplete — one person became anti-vaccine because of perceived side effects in their children
- Healthcare workers were seen as lacking cultural awareness — participants supported increasing ethnic minority representation in healthcare and were open to contributing to cultural competence training materials
Recommendations
- Use trusted community channels (such as WhatsApp, social media, and churches) instead of mainstream media to reach the Nigerian community
- Run health protection campaigns using local languages and religious centres
- Provide clear, reliable, and culturally relevant health information to build trust and support informed decision-making around vaccines and immunisation
Focus group 2 topic: Ghanaian community - vaccinations and immunisations
Objectives
- Gather information from the Ghanaian community in Birmingham to help create public health strategies
- Understand what makes it hard for people to protect their health and get vaccinated
- Identify communication preferences and cultural needs
- Recruit participants for cultural competence training materials
Findings
- People prefer Twi-language events and face-to-face communication — word of mouth and audiovisual materials in Twi are trusted
- Language barriers prevent clear expression and discourage people from getting help
- GP (General Practitioner, usually your family doctor) access is difficult — receptionists are seen as obstructive, and online advice is inaccessible because of literacy skills
- Participants want campaigns on women's health, child wellbeing, and trust-building through Ghanaian professionals
- Vaccination rates are low — participants request clear Twi explanations and report pressure and unexpected costs
- Natural remedies and self-medication are common, reducing how often people engage with formal healthcare
- Continuity of care is poor because of frequent GP changes and poor referrals
- Ghanaian accents lead to dismissive treatment — miscarriage care was poor
- Cultural understanding is lacking, which could be improved by providing access to Ghanaian GPs and interpreters
- Negative healthcare experiences lead to missed appointments
Recommendations
- Use Twi-language events and face-to-face communication to reach the community
- Launch awareness campaigns in Twi to improve health protection and vaccine rates
- Provide vaccine information in Twi to create trust and influence behaviour
- Develop Ghanaian cultural competence training for healthcare staff to reduce inequalities and improve engagements
Focus group 3 topic: Eritrean community - vaccinations and immunisations
Objectives
- Gather information from the Eritrean community in Birmingham to help create public health strategies
- Understand communication preferences and what makes it hard to use health services
- Explore how they feel about vaccines and immunisation
- Find participants for cultural competence training videos
Findings
- People trust WhatsApp, Instagram, flyers, and leaflets as ways to communicate
- Mainstream media is not trusted, and source credibility is key
- People are not using health services because of low awareness, language barriers, and mistrust
- A lot of concerns about vaccine side effects, especially for children
- Church leaders are influential and trusted sources of health information
- Mental health challenges are common but stigmatised
- Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) and third-sector organisations are known, but are hard to access
- Priests provide informal mental health support, but people who do not attend church struggle to get support
- Social inclusion and talking therapies are preferred over medication
- Community is open to participating in health campaigns
Recommendations
- Use WhatsApp, Instagram, flyers, and leaflets to communicate with the Eitrean community
- Run multilingual campaigns about vaccine side effects
- Develop independent vaccination campaigns involving church leaders
- Implement multilingual support through the NHS and priests to destigmatise mental health
- Create opportunities that support the community's readiness for behaviour change
'Do Good' vaccination campaign
This campaign included resources made by Ilera Health with local citizens to create trust in vaccination campaigns.
It ran between June and July 2025, across 41 GPs, 53 pharmacies and 25 National Express buses.
The resources should be used in targeted messaging and interventions during relevant vaccination campaigns.
Video resources for the 'Do Good' vaccination campaign.
Cultural competence videos
Cultural information rarely disaggregates different African communities.
Ilera Health have created videos to explore Nigerian and Ghanaian cultures and to develop more inclusive care in Birmingham.
Understanding Birmingham's Nigerian community.
Understanding Birmingham's Ghanaian community.
Page last updated: 10 February 2026
