Sixteen projects, aimed at improving the health and wellbeing of local communities, have been granted a share of almost £455k as part of continued work to tackle health inequalities across Walsall.

The projects, which are funded from the second year of NHS England’s Health Inequalities Programme money, focus on building on and sustaining existing initiatives, which align the work being done by the Walsall Together Partnership, to build resilient communities and support people experiencing poor health outcomes and reduced life expectancy.

Deb Hipkins, Head of Primary Care and Place Development, Black Country Integrated Care Board, said: “This is the second year of funding now and we are really pleased to be able to build on the success of existing projects that have a positive impact on health outcomes for the people of Walsall. There were some fantastic applications both from statutory services as well as community and voluntary organisations. One thing that shines through is the passion of the people behind them, in finding new ways or enhancing existing ways, to connect with our local communities, deliver vital services, offer support and advice, and most importantly help reach those who are less likely to access health, care and wellbeing services.”

Michelle McManus, Director of Transformation and Place Development for Walsall Together, said: “This funding is very much needed and welcomed in helping us to continue to support the great work that takes place to strengthen our local communities and create a fairer and more equitable Walsall. Focusing on ways we can better support our diverse and most vulnerable citizens, to access the help and support they need to thrive, is so important to the partnership and at the heart of everything we do.”

A panel of representatives from across the partnership evaluated each application and the following 16 projects were awarded a share of the funding to continue to develop the work they are doing:

  • Surgical pre-optimisation: support for citizens who are likely to be unfit for planned surgery (when the time comes) and to those who have been identified as unfit for surgery to increase the likelihood they can have it in the near future
  • Supporting Black, Asian and minority communities in pregnancy and early years: a specialist team providing targeted advice and/or support for infant feeding, mental health, transition to fatherhood, parenting, birth and beyond, gestational diabetes, health (including child health) and social support
  • Diabetes matters: focus on citizens with a diagnosis of diabetes, who are not treatment compliant, and therefore increasing risk of complications as well as people at increased risk of developing diabetes. Community champions operate as outreach authentic and accessible role models in schools, markets, places of worship etc
  • Community based health coaching: training of seven healthy weight coaches to support and motivate residents to develop a healthy lifestyle
  • Open wellbeing and wellbeing support: training/coaching for professionals and residents in wellbeing/mental health to help them or help others cope with 'life' through techniques such as movement, breathing and nutrition
  • Walk to wellbeing: purchasing of equipment for women to engage in physical activity to improve health and wellbeing and access/links to NHS healthier life choices such as weight management/healthy eating
  • Diabetes: a health coach to be the bridge between patients and clinicians facilitating referrals into tier 2 weight management programmes
  • Mental health wellbeing support sessions: online and face to face wellbeing support service provided by an accredited training provider (Atrium) and delivered by psychologists, therapists and coaches to support patients with mild/moderate mental health issues
  • Roma health mediators project: six month course for illiterate Roma Travellers, identified by Roma Health Mediators (members of the Roma community), who liaise between health, employment, education, public services and their families/peers
  • Kindness counts: community engagement initiative to support lonely/isolated people. The staff are experts by lived experience (Kindness Champions) who are recruited and trained to engage and support lonely and/or isolated residents offering emotional support, a resident led wellbeing plan and are the bridge to services/projects/activities in the community
  • Improving the health of obese patients suffering from hypertension and diabetes: a health and wellbeing coach to be the bridge between patients and clinicians facilitating referrals into tier 2 weight management programmes, providing bespoke support when needed
  • Florence Telehealth: remote monitoring to support self-management of long-term conditions
  • Walsall Carers Centre: supporting sub-groups of carers whose needs are quite specific and therefore find accessing support more complex. The interventions will be social, and activities will be designed and agreed by the groups (exercise, crafts etc)
  • New and exciting times: a motivation hub which helps to promote independence for people with learning disabilities
  • Social Prescribing Travel Passes: allocation of day bus passes, scratch card style, to enable people to access support, distributed via social prescribers

The successful projects are funded as part of the National Core20PLUS5 work which focuses on reducing inequalities, in areas which have been identified as within the 20% most deprived in England, taking into account the needs of local and more vulnerable communities as well as those who have long term health conditions and experience poorer outcomes as a result.

All of the projects will be evaluated, and the data and intelligence will be used to look at how we can work more collaboratively in the future, whilst obtaining an understanding of which approaches work best when engaging with our diverse communities.