Better Lives charity awarded almost £200k funding as part of NHS Charities Together’s ‘Innovation Challenge’ fund

• Bradford District Care NHS Foundation Trust’s Better Lives charity is one of six NHS charities across the UK to receive funding from NHS Charities Together’s Innovation Challenge Fund.
• Fund sees £923,100 initial investment in innovative and transformational projects tackling health and healthcare inequalities for children and young people aged 0-18 over the next three years.
• Over the next 10 years, NHS Charities Together aims to invest £40million in the Innovation Challenge to help build a healthier future for all.

Bradford District Care NHS Foundation Trust’s Better Lives charity has been awarded £199,278 for their work with the Trust’s Community Children’s services, Dixons Academies Trust, Oastlers School, member of Exceed Academy Trust, Education Alliance for Life Chances and Citizens UK, to improve access to health services for local children, young people and their families.

The investment over two years will enable ‘health hubs’ to be set up at the two schools, so children and families can experience earlier and better co-ordinated support in a place near to where they live that they know and trust.

Schools recognise the impact of health, care and other non-educational factors on children’s behaviour, attendance and readiness to learn, but families local to the schools had told them that they sometimes struggle to navigate the various health services. ‘Healthy Futures One Stop Health Shop’ events were held at both schools, bringing together a wide range of services under one roof, to test the concept with parents, children and young people.

The Trust’s Head of Community Children’s Services Dawn Lee said: “We have listened to what children, young people and families have said and been able to respond by working together, tackling issues collectively and providing support through ‘Act Locally’. Community Children’s services is really proud to be involved in such an ambitious project with our education colleagues at Dixons Allerton Academy and Oastlers School.”

Education Alliance for Life Chances Director Kathryn Loftus said: “Many schools face challenges beyond the classroom, particularly health-related barriers to learning. These deep and complex issues cannot be solved by schools or any one sector alone. What’s needed is a whole-systems approach – one that is tailored to the unique needs of each community. Act Locally brings schools and local practitioners together in a collaborative partnership, focusing on a single issue, in a specific place, at one time. By harnessing their shared knowledge and actions, they work toward collective impact.”

Bradford District Care Trust’s Head of Charity and Volunteering Catherine Jowitt put forward the bid to the NHS Charities Together’s ‘Innovation Challenge’ fund for the health hubs. She said: “This is a fantastic example of partnership working and co-production with children and young people to innovate in how health care is provided to them to help reduce health inequalities and improve child health and education outcomes. We are really pleased that our charity has been able to enhance this work through this successful grant, especially as this is by far the largest grant we have ever received.

“Health and healthcare inequality can have a major impact on health, affecting quality of life and placing extra pressures on health and care services. For example, the Health Foundation’s Young People’s Future Health Enquiry found that people aged 10-14 living in the most deprived areas will live 18 more years in ill health than their peers in the least deprived areas. Our health during childhood can define health in later life, and access to quality healthcare for children and young people is essential to ensuring all young people have the opportunity to thrive.”

Jon Goodwin, Head of Grants at NHS Charities Together, said: “We’re delighted to award Better Lives charity £199,278 to support projects over the next three years. We know that sadly where someone is born can affect their long-term health, and this and other projects across the UK are aimed at tackling unfair health inequalities and giving every young person the support they need.”