Co-production with Vita Health Group: Building Inclusive Mental Health Services

22nd Oct 2025

We recently hosted a co-production event with Vita Health Group at the Sikh Community Centre in Loughborough, bringing together over 50 attendees from Gujarati, Punjabi and Bengali backgrounds to share their experiences, ideas and perspectives on how NHS Talking Therapies can become more inclusive and accessible.

The session was designed as an open conversation between the Vita Health team and our multilingual project officers, who helped ensure everyone felt comfortable contributing in their preferred language. This language support was key in creating a relaxed, respectful atmosphere where participants could share freely about the barriers they face when accessing mental health services, from cultural stigma and lack of awareness to the challenges of navigating online referral systems.

Throughout the morning, small group discussions explored what inclusive care really looks like in practice. Participants talked about how trust, representation and understanding of cultural context can make a huge difference in encouraging people to seek help. The feedback gathered will now help shape future engagement work across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland, ensuring that services reflect the needs of the diverse communities they serve.

The event concluded with a shared lunch, offering a wonderful opportunity for connection and informal discussion. We’d like to extend a heartfelt thank you to everyone who attended and contributed, and to the Vita Health Group team for their ongoing collaboration. Together, we’re working to make sure mental health support is accessible, welcoming and relevant to everyone in our community.

If you are interested in collaborating with us on future engagement work or supporting our community-led health projects, please contact us at contact@equalityaction.org.uk.