Kaizen Case Studies | Community Success Stories

The Challenge

Poplar is an area facing major deprivation, with complex health and social challenges. To tackle these issues, Poplar HARCA and other key organisations created the Well One partnership. This initiative focused on improving residents’ physical, mental, and social wellbeing through a community-based health plan.

Key partners included Tower Hamlets CCG, Tower Hamlets Public Health, universities, charities, sports providers, GP surgeries, and community organizations.

We were contracted to design and implement a large-scale community research project. The goal was to understand community perspectives on health and happiness. And to explore how Well One’s networks, strengths, and assets could drive meaningful change.

Our Approach

We worked closely with Well One partners to co-design the project, including agreeing research methods and developing materials. The consultation spanned six weeks, covering weekdays and weekends, from early morning to late at night, ensuring a broad reach.

Engagement took place in various community settings, including:

Local businesses (chicken shops, cafes, dry cleaners, newsagents)
Public spaces (parks, market stalls, leisure centres)
Institutions (schools, churches, mosques, job centres, community centres)
Door-to-door consultations on housing estates

We consulted over 1,000 residents – everywhere from cafés to community centres, from market stalls to mosques.

We used a diverse range of methodologies:

Individual outreach and interviews
Street and traditional focus groups
Online and phone consultations
Key stakeholder interviews
Community engagement at festivals and events

The Result

We conducted a detailed analysis of both quantitative and qualitative data, culminating in two reports – a full analytical report and a visually engaging summary report with key findings and recommendations.

We combined in-depth interviews, street focus groups, and digital outreach to build understanding

The consultation engaged over 1,000 residents, ensuring that the insights reflected the diverse local population:

755 individual interviews
204 participants in 87 street focus groups
45 participants in traditional focus groups

A striking 76% of respondents reported that they had rarely or never been consulted before.

Findings provided valuable insights into barriers and motivators for improving community health and happiness:

Barriers: Lack of awareness, social isolation, competing priorities (family over self-care)
Motivators: Social networks, community events, better service awareness
Opportunities: Increased communication on available services, health-focused employment programs, and activation of local volunteer resources

Key takeaways included:

Isolation and loneliness significantly impact health; social connections are essential.
Community events emerged as the most recommended solution for improving wellbeing.
Full-time employment was linked to higher health and happiness levels, suggesting the need for health-related support in job programs.
64% of respondents wanted more information on local services, highlighting the need for better outreach.
44% expressed interest in volunteering, an untapped resource for community engagement.
Many participants prioritized family over personal health – group activities could drive participation.

The consultation successfully engaged underrepresented voices, including homeless individuals, young people, older adults, and those with disabilities. A striking 76% of respondents reported that they had rarely or never been consulted before.

Our analysis turned raw data into meaningful insights, delivering clear, evidence-based recommendations that shaped Well One’s strategy.

“We brought Kaizen in to help us understand the local community so we could make sure the work of our partnership was based on evidence from the local community and need. They did a thorough analysis and provided us with a report that was both very detailed and accessible. We are delighted with the work they did on this project and feel it gave us a fantastic basis to build on.”

Babu Bhattacherjee, Poplar HARCA, Director of Communities and Neighbourhoods

More examples of our work

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt
ut labore et dolore magna