The first round of funding from the £25.5 million Fairer Futures Fund will see the launch of 30 “innovative” projects across Birmingham and Solihull, with the ICS awarding small grants totalling £300,000 to new projects being delivered by 33 voluntary, community, faith and social enterprise sector organisations.
The projects include 60 mental health resilience-building workshops will be delivered to 300 people, with Fiona Taylor, chair of the trustees of Change Birmingham Brief Therapy, describing how the sessions will be designed to help students “find effective solutions to better manage current and future adversity, supporting their future mental health development and wellbeing”.
Other projects include co-designing and delivering bereavement awareness training for people supporting those experiencing homelessness; ‘Dance to Health’, a dance programme designed to support falls prevention; and a programme designed to support Solihull school children with physical activity.
David Melbourne, chief executive of NHS Birmingham and Solihull, commented: “We are delighted to be able to invest in such a broad range of projects, all designed to improve the way our patients and citizens receive care in their local communities. This has really showcased the high level of innovation and forward thinking in Birmingham and Solihull, as well as the commitment and passion of our staff and professionals. We look forward to seeing how these projects unfold.”
In other news from Birmingham and Solihull ICS, the ICS’s recently released dementia strategy for 2023-2028 aims to “enable all people with dementia and those who care for them, to have the best possible health and social care support throughout their dementia journey”.
To learn more about the new projects in Birmingham and Solihull, please click here.
