Muslim Women’s Access to Health and Social Care Services
Project Overview
The Muslim Women’s Health Experiences Project is a community-led research project working with Muslim women across Wigan Borough to understand their experiences of accessing and navigating health services.
The project brings together Muslim women, community researchers and local VCFSE organisations to explore what is working well, the barriers women face, and what could make health-related services and support more accessible, inclusive and culturally appropriate. Women are involved throughout the research process, from shaping the questions and gathering insight to identifying priorities and considering how the findings can influence change.
The project aims to create trusted spaces where women feel comfortable sharing their experiences, while building confidence, research skills and opportunities for ongoing involvement. The learning will be shared with services and decision-makers to support practical improvements, strengthen relationships between communities and the wider system, and ensure future decisions are better informed by Muslim women’s lived experiences.
Who Did We Fund?
From 8 total applicants, we funded six organisations across the Borough to carry out this work – these being…
What The Project Set Out to Do
The project was established to understand Muslim women’s experiences of accessing health and wellbeing services across Wigan Borough, identify barriers and inequalities, and ensure their voices influence research, services and decision-making. Rather than asking services to speak on behalf of communities, it places Muslim women at the centre of the research process. Local women are supported as community researchers, with training, tools and ongoing guidance to gather insight through trusted conversations, storytelling and creative methods. This creates safe and culturally appropriate spaces for women to share their experiences while building confidence, skills and leadership within the community. The project aims to produce meaningful insight grounded in lived experience and use it collaboratively with communities to influence more inclusive, responsive and culturally competent services.
Where Is It Up To?
The project is working with Muslim women and community organisations across Wigan to understand their experiences of accessing health and social care. Researchers are using culturally appropriate methods, including translated questionnaires, informal conversations, focus groups, creative activities and coffee mornings with crèche facilities.
Early engagement has highlighted barriers including language and digital access, difficulties arranging GP appointments and prescriptions, and women feeling dismissed when discussing pain. Progress slowed during the summer holidays and while organisations awaited funding, but groups have continued building local partnerships and planning engagement through schools, family hubs and trusted community spaces.
The next phase will focus on gathering women’s experiences, strengthening translation and data-capture support, and ensuring findings are shared with health and social care partners so they lead to meaningful action.
Who Has Funded the project?
The project was funded by NHS GM to 10 GM for the purpose of grant was to expand localities ability to develop their engagement and insight-gathering capabilities.
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