Six figures for hospital project taking a whole family approach
Ways to Wellness is thrilled to announce the expansion of one of our most impactful projects.
The Innovation Challenge Fund by NHS Charities Together has granted Newcastle Hospitals Charity £200,000 to support a partnership with Ways to Wellness to further expand our SPACE Pilot project, a collaboration with the Great North Children’s Hospital that sees social prescribing link workers placed alongside clinicians treating children with chronic conditions.
The move comes after an evaluation by researchers that proved the positive impact of the pilot’s work so far, to help families who reported feeling overwhelmed after leaving hospital, with many saying they had a lack of ‘headspace’ to search for relevant information, as well as feeling mentally exhausted from the effort of applying for support.
As the only recipient of the fund from the North East region, and one of only six projects nationally to be awarded a grant following 200 applications, it is hoped the work will help at least 150 more families with non-medical support that enables them to focus on what matters to them. The initiative is just one of several currently operating in the North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board (NENC ICB) region to be hosted by Ways to Wellness.
The work taking place in SPACE Pilot, and its evaluation by researchers from Newcastle University, who were funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Applied Research Collaboration (ARC) North East and North Cumbria, is covered in detail in a paper published by authors including Dr Anna Basu, a clinical senior lecturer and honorary consultant paediatric neurologist, who came up with the idea for the project and approached Ways to Wellness to help her implement it.
The research, which looked at the detailed experiences of 18 families who have used the SPACE Pilot service, found that for every £1 spent delivering the programme, it has created benefits worth £2.75.
The British Medical Council (BMC) Health Services Research report abstract reads: “Families reported having felt overwhelmed when trying to adjust to new ways of life post diagnosis…with little support to navigate non-medical needs. Parents…and healthcare professionals found link worker support invaluable for making community services accessible. Families then felt more connected to their communities, and less isolated, with increased belief in their self-efficacy.”
Dr Basu added: “Our study shows the real benefits of supporting children with neurodisabilities and their families through social prescribing – both emotionally and financially. Having link workers come into the hospital is a vital part of the scheme, as it makes the service more accessible for some families and allows support to start early.”
The £200,000 investment is part of £923,100 being distributed by NHS Charities Together’s Innovation Challenge Fund into projects tackling health and healthcare inequalities for children and young people aged up to 18 over the next three years. The overall ambition for the fund is to invest £40 million over the next 10 years, helping to build a healthier future for all. This is because 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 to 14 living in the most deprived areas will live 18 more years in ill health than their peers in the least deprived areas. Childhood health can define health in later life, and access to quality healthcare for children and young people is therefore essential to ensure all young people have the opportunity to thrive.
Jon Goodwin, Head of Grants at NHS Charities Together said: “We’re delighted that SPACE Pilot is one of six projects that have been awarded grants, in this case £200,000, to support it 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.”
Teri Bayliss, charity director at Newcastle Hospitals Charity added: “We’re pleased to have been awarded this funding with Ways to Wellness to support Anna and the team to further expand SPACE Pilot. It is our mission to go further for our hospitals and the funding for this project will help us continue to support young patients and their families at the Great North Children’s Hospital.”
Understand more about SPACE Pilot on our YouTube channel and if there’s an idea you might like to prototype, contact our team to arrange a discussion on 0191 816 3540 or at info@waystowellness.org.uk.
