Increasing Accessibility

Brook believes that high quality, inclusive, non-judgmental healthcare should be accessible to all, yet too often those with the greatest need are the least well served.

Societal factors such as socio-economic deprivation and individual characteristics including race, gender and disability, intersect in complex ways to shape and deepen health inequalities. Disparities are compounded by limited access to services in areas of deprivation, while discrimination and stigma place a disproportionate burden on the most marginalised and vulnerable communities.

Through the delivery of this strategy, we will prioritise access for underserved groups and those who experience prejudice and discrimination. We will dismantle access barriers and develop resources that meet the needs of people who are neurodivergent, experience a label of SEND, are care experienced and in alternative education settings.

We will work with specialist partners to further develop our services so they are accessible to sex workers, those in the youth justice system, those who are homeless and refugees/asylum seekers. To maximise the impact of our offer, we will educate and equip parents, carers, and professionals working in the youth and health sectors with the skills, knowledge and resources they need to provide effective information and support.

We will expand our services into new geographical areas, enabling more people to access the support they need. Through our co-design approach, we will reveal unmet needs, ensure marginalised voices are heard, and foster trust and engagement within communities. By tailoring our place-based offer to local needs, characteristics and assets, and by working in partnership with local specialist services, we will add value, amplify impact and promote excellence.

How we will achieve this

1. Work directly with those experiencing inequitable health outcomes, launching dedicated services for underserved communities.
2. Develop resources that respond to specific access needs, equipping young people, adults and the professionals who support them with the skills and knowledge they need.
3. Expand our services into new geographic areas through a localised, place-based offer in collaboration with community experts, amplifying their specialist skills.
4. Meet service users where they are through a range of access points including targeted community outreach, self-service and digital provision, protecting dedicated services for those who need them most.
5. Ensure our services are responsive and adaptive to the lived experience of service users by embedding co-design practices that ensure diversity of thought.