NHS Leeds South and East Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) has announced that 14 local projects will benefit from its Third Sector Grant Scheme, to help improve health and wellbeing in the South and East of the city.
Leeds South and East CCG is responsible for funding and managing health services for around 250,000 people living in South and East Leeds, and the grants will help the organisation deliver ambitious plans to improve health and wellbeing, prevent ill health and ultimately enable its local population to lead healthier lives.
The diverse range of projects funded included:
· Hamara Healthy Living Centre to support people from BME communities with Cardio Vascular Disease to access services using ‘5 ways to wellbeing’ approach based in South Leeds Wellbeing Hub.
· Home-Start Leeds to support parents with learning difficulties and disabilities who are expecting a baby.
· Dial (Leeds) Ltd, who are working with foodbanks to offer an information service targeting people with disabilities and long term conditions.
· Middleton Elderly Aid, who will offer befriending for socially isolated older people in Middleton.
The grants have been awarded in a second round of the £1million programme, which is being managed by independent grant-makers Leeds Community Foundation. It follows the first round of the programme, which closed in June 2015 and resulted in 24 organisations receiving almost £600,000.
46 applications were received. A panel including patients, GPs, and representatives from the CCG, Public Health and the third sector approved ten schemes costing up to £50,000 each and four schemes costing around £5,000 each, with just over £400,000 allocated in total. There were many great applications and the panel had to make some difficult decisions but ultimately, successful applicants demonstrated that they met the needs of the CCG population and could address key population health issues as well as national NHS challenges.
Andy Harris, Clinical Chief Officer of NHS Leeds South and East CCG and a GP in East Leeds, said:
“We are delighted to be extending our support for such a diverse range of important local projects. Community and voluntary organisations play a crucial role in helping us understand the health and wellbeing needs of our local people and the grants will enable this understanding to be used to tackle some really key health challenges in our area.”
Sally-Anne Greenfield, Chief Executive of Leeds Community Foundation, who are managing the distribution of grants, said:
“We are proud to have partnered with the NHS Leeds South & East CCG in distributing these grants to enable community projects to build capacity and evidence of health benefits in communities. We are excited to see the positive impact that these projects will have on the lives of local people and the part they will play in supporting the needs of the South and East of Leeds.”
