Community at Heart

Cardiovascular diseases are strongly associated with health inequalities. There are differences between communities in the prevalence, treatment and outcomes of cardiovascular diseases and their risk factors. This is because cardiovascular health is affected by wider determinants of health such as income, housing, education, the environment, and access to health and social care.

Greater Manchester (GM) continues to improve the cardiovascular health of its population, yet inequalities still exist with the communities at greatest risk also being those in underserved communities. Increased CVD mortality across GM localities correlates with areas of higher deprivation and every GM locality is in the top third most deprived local authorities in England. Continued progress is required to reduce existing inequalities and the provision of personalised equitable services.

The Community at Heart project will help to understand how we can increase access to services that can improve health outcomes in these underserved communities. This will be achieved by using data to inform where engaging with the community could be beneficial and enable insights to be gathered about how health conditions are managed and the potential barriers that prevent support being accessed. This work may also involve the co-creation of culturally competent communication materials and public health messages, that resonate with specific audiences.

The Understand phase of the Community at Heart project aimed to assess the current landscape of CVD prevention in Greater Manchester, focusing on national and local context, available data, and people’s experiences. This phase ran from April to July 2025, involving a multi-professional team and engaging with public, patients, clinicians, and the Voluntary, Community, Faith and Social Enterprise (VCFSE) sector.

The Understand Phase has mapped out where the greatest needs and opportunities lie, highlighting both data-driven gaps and community insights.

As we move into the Reimagine Phase, the project will build on these findings by focusing on targeted, community-led, and data-informed interventions, aiming for more equitable, sustainable, and impactful CVD prevention across Greater Manchester.

The Reimagine phase aims to:

Co‑design innovative solutions with communities, clinicians, VCFSE partners and creative sector collaborators.
Work in close collaboration with health and care providers in GM, identifying how the management of CVD risk among 30-39 year olds could be improved, a group currently not included in existing nationally commissioned pathways.
Increase uptake of NHS Health Checks among 40-50 year olds, particularly in areas of low participation.
Develop evidence led prototypes, data insights, horizon scans, creative engagement tools, and a suite of costed model options ready for moving into the implementation phase.

Improving the GM system’s understanding of communities at higher risk of CVD through advances in population health management, better engagement with communities and the use of voluntary sector outreach organisations will help place communities at the heart of the CVRM Mission.