Out and about: Dundee Health and Wellbeing Networks

Keeping up to date with what community led health organisations and practitioners are doing to improve people’s health and wellbeing is an important part of the job for the CHEX team. 

One way that we are doing this is linking in with local and regional health and wellbeing networks across the country.


Dundee has three Health and Wellbeing Networks covering the west, east and central parts of the city, and Sarah joined them recently when they came together for an in-person meeting to find out more about their work.

The three networks are made up of a range of different members from community activists, community organisations, voluntary sector staff and volunteers and practitioners employed by the local authority and NHS. What they all have in common is that they work together in partnership at a community level to address health inequalities in Dundee.

At the meet up, Sarah heard about some fantastic community work happening over the year, including the organisation of family-friendly activities and trips, a new and increasingly successful men’s health initiative, and a green health project, which held an outdoor Burns Night event in January - a brave thing to do here in snowy Scotland!

There was more inspiration in a powerful presentation from the Charleston Health Issues in the Community Group.  As well as sharing their individual journeys, the group highlighted the fundamental importance of community facilities as the place where members of the group were able to access information, services, support and develop supportive friendships and networks in a welcoming, non-judgemental environment.  

It’s great to see so much community-led health and wellbeing work in action, with resources being invested to support and develop community capacity and ensure that community members were able to take a full part in planning, leading and delivering these initiatives, in partnership with the staff and volunteers from a range of public and community sector organisations. 

If you are involved in a health and wellbeing network in your area, we’d love to hear from you!  We are always up for attending one of your meetings to share info on all things CHEX and learn about the community-led health practice in your area. 

Email Sheena if you’d like to chat to us about your work.