20 projects in Solihull have secured nearly £1.8 million from the Integrated Care System’s (ICS) Fairer Futures Fund, all aimed at improving health and care for residents in Solihull.
The ICS’s £25.5million ‘Fairer Futures Fund’, was launched to reduce health inequalities and improve health and care services for patients and citizens across Birmingham and Solihull.
Solihull’s 20 projects are made up of 17 small grants schemes worth £165,580, joined by three larger projects which have attracted a total of £1,612,570.
The three large projects in Solihull are:
Health in the Hearts of the Community Programme, spearheaded by Colebridge Trust working with, Three Trees, Cars Area Together and Amba care solutions
Solihull Family Hubs - which will see Solihull Council working with various voluntary, community, faith and social enterprise and health organisations as part of Solihull’s wider Early Help and prevention offer.
Support for Young People with health and wellbeing needs in North Solihull - led by Ordinary Magic working with Urban Heard, Inclusive Sports and Meriden Adventure Playground
Solihull’s Place Committee, which brings together the NHS, Solihull Metropolitan Council and the voluntary, faith and community sectors, approved the allocation of funding for the 20 projects according to agreed criteria. The small grant schemes, announced in September 2023 have been distributed by the Heart of England Community Foundation acting on behalf of the Committee.
Chet Parmar, Chief Executive of Colebridge Trust, said: “The Health in the Hearts of The Community" project is about enabling the community to help itself. We will offer comprehensive training and support to our teams of staff and local volunteers to improve health literacy and the understanding of risk factors amongst local residents. We will do this through one-to-ones, workshops, community activities, peer-to-peer support groups. We’re really pleased to be working collaboratively with our third sector partners to help Solihull residents manage their health better.”
Councillor Tony Dicicco, Solihull’s Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care & Health, said: “Our four Family Hubs are a physical expression of our ambition to support our families and communities to live well in Solihull. They embody our prevention strategy which is about taking action to stop issues arising in the first place and when they do, providing the appropriate support to ‘nip things in the bud.”
Michelle O’Connor at Ordinary Magic said: “Our Connected Care project is all about supporting young people to be able to easily access support for their health and wellbeing. We’ll be launching JoyApp, for professionals to be able to refer children, young people and their families to a health and wellbeing co-ordinator who can support them to get their needs met through a wide range of place-based services. We hope this will help us offer a truly joined-up approach to working families and young people so they can get the local services they need, be that health, social care or education.”
Councillor Karen Grinsell, Deputy Leader and Lead Member for Wellbeing, Skills & Inclusion at Solihull Council, said: “It’s great to see Solihull Place Committee being able to support these three Solihull projects. I wish the organisers all the very best and look forward to meeting them and seeing their work in the coming months. I welcome the £3.9 million that the ICS has invested into Solihull, and I am sure the 17 small grants, alongside the larger projects will have a profound effect on our communities right across the borough.”
David Melbourne, Chief Executive of NHS Birmingham and Solihull, said: “The 20 projects are a fantastic example of innovation and creativity, bringing communities and professional together to meet peoples’ needs. I look forward to seeing how the three larger projects and the 17 small grants impact their local communities and improve the life chances of people in Solihull.
Tina Costello, Chief Executive at Heart of England Community Foundation, said: “We are delighted to share news about the latest small grants from the Fairer Futures Fund for Solihull. We are proud to support such an array of amazing projects, from a new women’s health support group to a luncheon club and drop-in centre for older people helping to reduce social isolation. These groups are already beginning to make use of the funding in their communities, and we can't wait to see their impact over the coming months.”
The full list is here.