Louisa Barkla, Communications Coordinator

Having travelled and worked for many years in the hospitality and tourism sector, I developed an interest in public health, moving into the not-for-profit sector in 2011. I worked as Communications and Resources Officer in Unicef UK’s Baby Friendly Initiative, with breaks in between to have my two boys. I moved to Brighton a few years ago, to enjoy the sea and the beautiful city. I love living here!

It is really important to ensure equitable healthcare for all – if we have more of a level playing field we can have a fairer, happier society, where everyone can thrive. This is why I got into public health; it’s a privilege to be able to work in this field and support the work that Arch does, playing our part to support good health in Brighton.

I develop and distribute information in order to help promote Arch and the work we do, and also to ensure that patients or frontline workers in other organisations get the information they need in order to access our services and stay well and healthy.
To do this, I maintain and update our website, send updates via social media, email and other channels. I also liaise with the press and other partners in order to advocate for, and raise awareness of our work. Arch deserves to be a Brighton institution, and for that to happen we need everyone to be engaged and know about our work, especially those who might need to access our services!

I love that Arch is small and dynamic and that we can try new ways of working and new partnerships, in order to make our service even better. That is coupled with a kind, caring environment for both staff and patients, where we can be honest with each other and not feel judged.