Funding from £10,000 to £150,000 available to projects mitigating health inequalities and addressing preventable variations in healthcare outcomes.
Southend Association of Voluntary Services (SAVS), supported by Castle Point Association of Voluntary Services (CAVS) & Rayleigh, Rochford and District Association for Voluntary Service (RRAVS) have partnered with The Mid and South Essex (MSE) Integrated Care Board (ICB) to administer the local, South East Essex Alliance Health Inequalities Fund in 2023-24.
The ICP Strategy sets out the shared commitment of reducing inequalities together. Health inequalities are the preventable disparities in health and care outcomes that exist between different groups within our society. This funding initiative aims to support a wide range of projects and programmes to address health inequalities and the wider determinants of health. In this work, we acknowledge specific key groups who are facing significant disadvantages, as expressed in the Core20PLUS5 approach.
The main objective of the Health Inequalities funding initiative is to support projects adopting innovative and collaborative strategies for mitigating health inequalities and addressing preventable variations in healthcare outcomes including;
- Tackling inequalities in outcomes, experience and access
- Improving health and healthcare in the 20% most deprived among our population
- Addressing the national, local and local PLUS priority areas
- Addressing any other locally evidenced health inequalities aligned with the priorities
Your can read more about CORE20PLUS5 and our local health priorities in the detailed SEE Health Inequalities Fund Guidance document.
To achieve these aims, it is the intention of the fund to:
- Pursue innovative and collaborative approaches to effecting substantial, measurable changes in equality throughout Castle Point, Rochford and Southend-on-Sea (South East Essex Alliance footprint), addressing the root causes of health inequality at the local level within our community
- Direct effort proactively towards our most deprived communities and groups aligning with the clinical priorities for adult, children, and young people
- Develop solutions with a population-focused approach, breaking down barriers between statutory and non-statutory organisations and the residents they serve
- Strive for financial sustainability in the initiatives undertaken
- Execute activities within the first quarter of 2024
- Integrate a robust evaluation process that identifies the outcomes and impact of the health inequalities funding, including the creation of case studies for dissemination across the local system and nationally
All projects must demonstrate alignment to the following criteria:
- Be a bid of between £10k and £150k
- Be aligned to Heath Inequality prioirities
- Not be a duplication of an existing service, project or Health Inequalities initiative
- Not provide a service or offer that should be commissioned Statutorily
- Should support integrated working and identify at least one partner within the local system to co-deliver the intervention
- Deliver impact exclusively to SOS & CPR residents
- Demonstrate a safe closure and exit strategy for the project/initiative when the grant ends
- Offer value for money
- Offer innovation and social value to residents in South East Essex
- Demonstrate the impact of previous project/intervention if funding is sought to continue an existing Health Inequalities project/initiative
They could also be focused on supporting individuals or groups that may experience poorer health outcomes due to:
- Socio-economic factors, for examples, income, level of deprivation
- Geography, for example, region or whether urban or rural
- Specific characteristics including those protected in law, such as sex, ethnicity, or disability
- Socially excluded groups, for example, people experiencing homelessness.
The Fund is now open for applications via an online application form. There are two opportunities to submit your project idea, with ‘Review 1’ closing to applications on Sunday 28th January 2024 and ‘Review 2’ closing to applications on Sunday 25th February 2024.
More information about this Fund can be found on the South East Essex Alliance Substack page.
Useful information and guides relating to this funding:
Support is available to those wishing to apply to this funding, from sense checking your idea to help with submitting your online application. Please email [email protected] to access this support.