NHS England is inviting applications from voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) organisations that have done ‘some amazing patient, service-user or carer involvement work that has improved healthcare services in their community.
Grants of up to £2,500 (an increase of £500 from last year) are being made available to VCSE organisations that would like to share their good practice in a creative way with the NHS. This can be in a wide variety of ways, such as with videos, photo or audio books, leaflets and posters, graphics or other formats.
Applicants will need to explain how they have involved patients and citizens in a healthcare project and how they plan to use the grant to share and showcase their work in a creative way.
The funding can be used to cover the full cost of the project output or to part fund the work.
NHS England set up this grant scheme in 2015 to enable a wide range of voluntary and community organisations to showcase their good practice around patient and public involvement in healthcare.
The funding is in support of the NHS England’s commitment to engaging and involving people to improve the way it works. NHS England wants to encourage the spread of learning and showcasing of good practice by making some funds available to groups to highlight and share their work with others.
Who Can Apply
Community groups, voluntary sector, social enterprises or patient organisations and not-for-profit organisations can apply.
To be eligible, applicants must be a formally constituted organisation, such as a:
- Registered charity.
- Constituted community organisation with terms of reference, clear governance arrangements and annually audited accounts.
- Not-for-profit company Limited by Guarantee (Registered at Companies House).
- Community Interest Company (CH or CIC Regulator).
- Co-operative.
- Industrial and Provident Society (also known as Registered Society).
Partnership working is encouraged; partners can be other voluntary sector organisations, private companies, or others. However, the lead partner must be a not-for-profit organisation.
Restrictions
The following are not eligible for funding:
- Other NHS bodies.
- Local authorities.
- Companies run by local authorities.
- Equipment, ie filming equipment, a minibus, or a computer.
- Ongoing running costs for an existing project.
- Training costs.
- Perishable items, ie, subsistence/refreshments.
- New involvement projects.
- Website development including hosting costs.
Eligible Expenditure
The funding is for groups that would like to share with the NHS their good practice in a creative way. This can be in a wide variety of ways, such as with videos, photo or audio books, leaflets and posters, graphics or other formats.
To be eligible, applications must meet the following criteria:
- Applicants must have already carried out their patient/public/community involvement project. The grant is to be used to showcase something already done, not to start a new involvement project.
- The project output should be appealing, creative and accessible and clearly show the good practice that has been developed.
- The completed project being showcased must focus on how involving citizens and/or patients or carers, including people from diverse communities, has improved healthcare services and/or reduced health inequalities.
- The community grant output must be hosted on the applicant’s website or another digital platform, agree to work collaboratively with NHS England to develop it and give NHS England permission to share it with its staff and networks.
- The outputs of the project must be ready to share with NHS England by 15 March 2019.
The funding can be used to cover the full cost of the project output or to part fund the work.
How To Apply
The deadline for applications is 20 September 2018 (midnight).
An online application form and guidelines can be found on the NHS England website.
The application form is also available in a Word format and can be requested by sending an email to england.ppvcommunitygrants@nhs.net