Posted on: 30 October 2020
West Yorkshire and Harrogate Health and Care Partnership has launched a new Targeted Prevention Grant Fund worth £100,000 to help reduce the gap in health equalities across the area.
The aim of the fund is to support targeted, community level preventative interventions that will reduce harmful health behaviours, improve health outcomes and contribute to a reduction in inequalities for population groups who are disproportionately affected by COVID-19 and the indirect social implications of measures such as isolation and shielding.
The fund particularly welcomes innovative proposals that are founded on a partnership approach by working across health and Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) organisations and those that support winter wellbeing relating to food security, social isolation or winter warmth.
Robin Tuddenham, CEO for Calderdale Council; Chief Officer for Calderdale Clinical Commissioning Group and Co-Chair of the WY&H HCP Improving Population Health Programme said:
“Building on the success of our Health Inequalities Grant Fund earlier this year, we have now made a further £100 000 available to support the valuable work of the smaller organisations and voluntary bodies across our Partnership. We are keen to see people bring forward plans for sustainable interventions that go beyond the immediate impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic to have a medium to longer term impact on inequalities and, at the same time, increase resilience of individuals and communities.”
Dr James Thomas, Chair of NHS Bradford District and Craven Clinical Commissioning Group, who is also the Co-Chair for the Improving Population Health Programme and Co-Chair of the WY&H HCP Clinical Forum said:
“There are a number of priority population groups that we believe may be disproportionately affected through the COVID-19 pandemic particularly over the winter period. People living with long term conditions including cardio-vascular disease, stroke and diabetes; people living with mental health conditions, with Learning Disabilities and Autism and people living with excess weight, particularly those with a BMI over 30 are amongst the most vulnerable groups in our society.
We know that there are many smaller bodies out there who do great work with people in these circumstances and we want to hear from them with their ideas. We’re encouraging community organisations with an income under £20 000 per year to apply for funding and we’re offering to review their applications before submission to give them the best chance of success if they need it.”
Partners will be invited to apply for eight grants of funding between £1,000 - £5,000 and four grants of funding of between £5,001 and £15,000.
The fund opened on 2 November 2020 and applications must be received by 5pm Friday 4 December 2020. Decisions will be made by a virtual panel and funding will be awarded in December 2020/January 2021.
Kaysha Maynard, Contracts Manager for NHS Leeds CCG and member of the Partnership’s BAME Network said:
“This is another example of how our Partnership is committed to working with our communities and groups who support them to encourage improved wellbeing. This in turn helps us in our drive to tackle health inequalities that can have a significant impact on people’s lives and those of their families and friends too.”