How Salons and GP Practices Can Work Together to Improve Community Health: Insights from the BELONG Launch

In June 2025, we hosted the official launch workshop for the BELONG Project (Phase 2), bringing together community partners, health professionals, researchers, and policy stakeholders to explore how local salons can be leveraged as trusted spaces for health engagement. The event marked an important milestone in our work to tackle persistent health inequalities, particularly among women in ethnically diverse and low-income communities. Cardiovascular conditions such as heart disease and stroke cost the NHS an estimated £9 billion annually, with the greatest burden falling on deprived areas. These conditions are also underdiagnosed among women and ethnic minority groups, underscoring the urgent need for inclusive, community-led solutions. 

At the workshop, the BELONG team introduced the project's aims and shared emerging findings from the first two phases of our feasibility study. The project explores how hairdressers, supported by nurses, healthcare assistants, and community champions, can help increase uptake of NHS Health Checks by promoting a culturally adapted online tool within salon settings. 

To support the project’s next phase, the team has begun mapping salons across three diverse London boroughs: Tower Hamlets, Lewisham, and Lambeth. So far, we’ve visited 39 salons, with 7 expressing interest in taking part. Early data has provided valuable insights. On average, each salon sees around 40 clients per week, most aged 18–60. Ethnic breakdown of clients includes 42.5% South Asian, 40.5% White, and 9% Black. Accessibility is strong, with most salons located within a 2-minute walk of public transport and an 8-minute walk to a GP or pharmacy. We have also started to explore the ethnic backgrounds of salon staff and clients, helping us better understand the cultural dynamics and community reach of these spaces. 

Participants at the workshop also took part in structured table discussions aimed at identifying key challenges and opportunities across five themes: (1) Salon Engagement, (2) Primary Care Involvement, (3) Multisectoral Partnerships, (4) Community Outreach and Digital Engagement, and (5) Scalability and Sustainability.  

The key discussion points from each theme are summarised below. 

1. Salon Engagement 

Participants acknowledged significant challenges faced by salons, including limited time, staffing constraints, and financial limitations. Despite these barriers, several enabling factors were identified, such as delivering flexible, accessible training within salons, providing financial support to staff, and creating pathways for upskilling. The importance of community engagement was emphasised, with strategies including soliciting client feedback, utilising relatable messaging such as framing the initiative as “part of being healthy,” and employing incentives to encourage participation. 

2. Primary Care Involvement 

Concerns were raised regarding the capacity of GP practices, competing demands on clinicians’ time, and limited research infrastructure. To address these issues, participants recommended early identification of practices requiring additional support, embedding local researchers within clinics, mapping research-active sites, and offering time-based incentives to facilitate GP participation. 

3. Multisectoral Partnerships 

Sustainable progress was recognised as contingent on strong, cross-sector partnerships aligned with organisational goals and key performance indicators. Suggestions included the deployment of PhD and postdoctoral researchers dedicated to relationship-building and the provision of tangible recognition for participating salons, such as a “badge of honour” or modest service fees acknowledging their contributions to health promotion. 

4. Community Outreach and Digital Engagement 

Effective community outreach strategies highlighted included leveraging local festivals, places of worship, influencers, and trusted community leaders. Regarding digital communication, attendees advocated focusing on a primary platform to ensure message clarity, while promoting inclusive, accessible content such as QR codes and videos. Maintaining face-to-face engagement was also deemed essential to reach individuals with limited digital access. 

5. Scalability and Sustainability 

Participants discussed ongoing challenges, including limited funding and staff turnover. Proposed solutions encompassed strengthening GP–salon linkages, organising joint community events, and publicly recognising participating organisations to sustain motivation. The adoption of a “Sustain–Scale–Spread” model was recommended to enable systematic testing, refinement, and expansion of the initiative. Clearly defined partner roles and comprehensive documentation of lessons learned were identified as vital for long-term success.