At this year’s Cardiff and Vale Regional Partnership Board Conference, Dr Ayla Cosh received the Making a Difference Award, recognising her work to improve access to healthcare for some of the most vulnerable people in our communities.
A GP for 16 years, Ayla has spent much of her career working in areas of high deprivation. Through that experience, she saw first-hand how traditional healthcare systems do not always work for people facing multiple barriers to accessing care.
“I’ve always tried to think about different ways that we could improve access,” Ayla explains. “Seeing people face those barriers first-hand has always been a real motivation for me. Everyone is worthy of equity, respect and kindness.”
Ayla joined Cardiff and Vale University Health Board in 2018, initially working as a salaried GP across prison healthcare and what was then Cardiff Health Access Practice. In 2020, she became Clinical Director and has since played a key role in the development of the Cardiff and Vale Health Inclusion Service (CAVHIS).
But when talking about receiving the Making a Difference Award, Ayla is clear that the progress made through CAVHIS is very much a collective achievement.
“I’m really grateful for the team effort in getting CAVHIS to where it is,” she says. “It’s been about the support from colleagues, really good partnership working and everyone’s willingness to work together.”
For Ayla, partnership working isn’t simply beneficial – it is essential. Health is closely connected to housing, finances and many other aspects of people’s lives, meaning no single organisation can address the challenges people face in isolation.
“Seeing people face those barriers first-hand and trying to move towards a more just system that recognises the value and dignity of all has always been a real motivation for me.”
“The biggest thing I’ve learned is the importance of partnership working. In this area, it is impossible to move things forward without working as partners. The complex health and social challenges faced by Inclusion Health groups are so interlinked and intertwined – we really need each other to be able to make things better for people.”
Working alongside colleagues across health, local authorities, housing and the third sector has also provided opportunities to learn from the different experiences and expertise each partner brings.
Another lesson Ayla takes from her work is the extraordinary resilience of the people CAVHIS supports.
“You meet people who have faced enormous, complex challenges and they are still standing. You might meet someone at a particularly low point in their journey, but nobody’s journey is finished. We’re all working together to help people take that next positive step.”
There is still more to do, but Ayla believes the partnership is moving in the right direction – with an ambition to see even greater collaboration and shared approaches across organisations in the future.
And while the Making a Difference Award may have Ayla’s name on it, she is keen that its recognition is shared much more widely – with the colleagues and partners who continue to work together to make a difference for people across Cardiff and the Vale.