When I heard this year’s South Asian Heritage Month theme is Unity in Diversity, my first thought was of the power of trust, relationships, and shared purpose in community health. In healthcare, progress rarely happens through fact-based messages alone. It happens when people feel seen, respected, and involved in shaping the solutions that affect them.

Over the years, I have seen that the strongest vaccination work is not simply about delivering a service. It is about building relationships and asking people what matters to them. In areas where communities have different histories, beliefs, languages, and concerns, a one-size-fits-all approach does not work. What does work is listening well, understanding local context, and partnering with people who are already trusted in their communities.

That is especially true for vaccination. During COVID-19 and in other immunisation work, the most effective approaches were often the most local: trusted messengers, tailored outreach, and services designed around what people actually needed. In my experience, that means co-production with communities rather than assumptions about them. It also means recognising that communities are never monolithic, whether Muslim, Jewish, South Asian, or any other group; there is always diversity of perspective within the community itself.

A strong public health response also needs to go beyond clinics. Screening, vaccination, and health promotion work best when they are connected to wider determinants of health, including access, trust, language, and convenience.

What I find most encouraging is that good work in one place can help others. If we can show that relationships, trust, and collaboration improve vaccination and engagement in diverse communities, then that is something other teams and regions can learn from. Unity in diversity is not just a theme for a month. It is a practical model for how health services can work better for everyone.