Local projects have been submitted from around the United Kingdom from a range of different organisations. The aim of the local projects is to share what is being done to improve health in the community. This section has not been peer reviewed and the BMJ Group makes no guarantee about the accuracy of the information supplied. For more information contact the organiser of the local project directly. For our full website terms and conditions please click here.
Each local project has a summary box and contact details. Further detail is also provided.
If you would like to submit a local project then please contact us.
Please select a local project
| Description |
Capital Volunteering aim to tackle issues of mental health and social inclusion through volunteering |
| Setting |
Community |
| Population |
People with serious and enduring mental health issues living in London. There is a particular emphasis on including people
with mental health issues from black and minority ethnic (BME) groups and refugee/asylum seeker communities.
|
| Intervention |
The project funds and supports over 100 volunteering projects within local organisations across London. Projects include:
supported volunteering; mentoring and befriending; creative arts; environment; sports; social or peer support groups.
|
| Main Outcome |
For individuals the focus is on social inclusion outcomes, for example: reduced isolation, increased skills, social networks,
knowledge, links to community facilities, move on to employment and training. Other outcomes include reduced stigma in the
community and increased capacity for organisations to work with volunteers with mental health issues.
|
| Cost |
Start-up - ; Running costs - £7. 3m over four years; Total - |
| Contact Email |
info@capitalvolunteering.org.uk |
| Description |
Changes is a user-led organisation that provides a comprehensive recovery service for those with mental illness. It is a resource
consisting of a website, support groups, and peer support
|
| Setting |
Community/day centres and the Changes office in and around North Staffordshire, Bristol, and Shropshire |
| Population |
Changes has various group projects, ranging from Young Changes (13-25 year olds) to weekly help groups for the over 60s |
| Intervention |
Weekly mutual help groups that follow a 12 step recovery programme |
| Main Outcome |
Rehabilitation of users—helping them to make sense of their mental illness, emphasise personal growth and acceptance, and
enable people to get on with their lives
|
| Cost |
Start-up - £30 000; Running costs - £120 000; Total - |
| Contact Email |
changes@hanley25.freeserve.co.uk |
| Description |
A referral service for patients with social isolation and psychosocial issues |
| Setting |
GP surgeries or patients’ own homes |
| Population |
Anyone with social needs that are affecting their health |
| Intervention |
Talk to patients and identify the most appropriate support for them |
| Main Outcome |
Broaden service provision in GP practices for patients with psychosocial needs and link patients to appropriate support within
the community
|
| Cost |
Start-up - First year start up costs were £30 000, which included all publicity material and CHAT worker’s salary.; Running costs - ; Total - |
| Contact Email |
simon.white@bradford.nhs.uk |
| Description |
Aims to improve the health and social contact of Asian women by involving them in growing, eating and selling fruit and vegetables. |
| Setting |
Inner City Birmingham, especially allotment sites in east and south Birmingham |
| Population |
Asian women, and others not traditionally involved in gardening and allotments. |
| Intervention |
Engaging Asian women in growing vegetables, learning new horticultural skills, and adopting a healthier lifestyle through
improved diet and exercise.
|
| Main Outcome |
Increased awareness of food and sustainability issues, changes in diet, increase in numbers of women gardening and increased
uptake of allotments.
|
| Cost |
Start-up - Difficult to quantify, but for an entirely new scheme you would have to factor in staff training, the time spent in building
relationships and securing a site, and the construction of raised beds at the allotment. These costs have been built into
our annual cost (see below).; Running costs - About £35 000-40 000 a year; Total -
|
| Contact Email |
irena@csvenvironment.org.uk |
| Description |
Offers support to substance misusers, the mentally ill and socially isolated people |
| Setting |
Day centre |
| Population |
Homeless and otherwise marginalised adults over 18 years of age |
| Intervention |
Offers cooked meals, showers, haircuts and clothing |
| Main Outcome |
Increase in clients moving to settled housing, rehabilitation centres and the labour market |
| Cost |
Start-up - To equip the centre, the cost is perhaps £150,000; Running costs - £150 000 so far (and rising). Without the volunteers the costs would be at least double.; Total - |
| Contact Email |
jackie.walsh@ccrsorg.co.uk |
| Description |
Cottoning On is a strategic healthy living partnership |
| Setting |
The most disadvantaged areas of Oldham |
| Population |
Young people and black and minority ethnic (BME) women |
| Intervention |
Within Cottoning On there are a range of projects. These include the Energise Project which helps young people move towards
health and fitness; the Himmat and Saharah Projects which supports BME women to develop and sustain healthier communities;
and the Pathways to Health project which provides training to empower BME women to take more control of their health.
|
| Main Outcome |
Successfully delivered a range of interventions and activities that have engaged some of the most hard to reach groups within
Oldham. Young people and BME women have been supported to actively participate in improving their own health and the health
of their communities.
|
| Cost |
Start-up - £91 428; Running costs - Approximately £2.5 million over six years; for 2006-7 the budget is approximately £500 000.; Total - |
| Contact Email |
martynprice@nhs.net |
| Description |
Research focusing on the effects of conflict on health and mental health for local populations and on the impact of living
in a border area on women’s role and health.
|
| Setting |
Western part of Northern Ireland and North-West of Ireland. |
| Population |
Women living on either side of the border between Ireland and Northern Ireland. |
| Intervention |
Action will be taken based on the research. |
| Main Outcome |
Too early to say. |
| Cost |
Start-up - £34 000 funding in total.; Running costs - See above.; Total - |
| Contact Email |
leslie.boydell@publichealth.ie |
| Description |
This project encourages young people to engage in physical activity. |
| Setting |
Parks and open spaces in the community; sports clubs. |
| Population |
Young people and people from deprived areas that are high in coronary heart disease. |
| Intervention |
Creation of parks and open spaces in the community, setting up activity based clubs. |
| Main Outcome |
Too early to say. |
| Cost |
Start-up - See below.; Running costs - Currently in the second stage which amounts to about £80 000. The project has a budget of £200 000 overall.; Total - |
| Contact Email |
damianaston@yahoo.co.uk |
| Description |
The Centre will open in October 2007. It will bring about step changes in local health inequalities by tackling particular
health issues like smoking, obesity, poor housing, mental health and community regeneration by changing how services are delivered
locally, reducing barriers and improving health choices.
|
| Setting |
Easington Colliery and its surrounding areas. Easington Colliery is the most deprived area in England as defined by the English
Indices of Deprivation (2004).
|
| Population |
All residents living in Easington Colliery and its surrounding areas. |
| Intervention |
A number of core services will be delivered through the centre such as podiatry service, cardiovascular suite and a children’s
gym. Sessional activities will include smoking cessation, weight management, healthy eating and community safety.
|
| Main Outcome |
None yet. A number of outcomes will be measured such as life expectancy, smoking cessation rates and obesity levels. |
| Cost |
Start-up - £750 000; Running costs - To be determined.; Total - |
| Contact Email |
fiona.gillespie@cdpct.nhs.uk |
| Description |
Promote positive mental health for children and adolescents in Hertfordshire. |
| Setting |
Schools, youth clubs and parenting programmes. |
| Population |
All children and young people aged 0-18 years living in Hertfordshire. |
| Intervention |
One week each year designated to promote positive mental health based on distribution of grants, information packs and resources
to schools and provision of training and information for all professionals working with children and young people.
|
| Main Outcome |
Number of children and young people participating in the programme. |
| Cost |
Start-up - In the first year we had £5000 to fund printing, prizes and the grants. We also received an invaluable £8000 from Herts Together
to enable us to produce large folders for each school in the county, as well as other organisations and settings working with
children and young people. For 2006-7 we had a budget of £15 000 which was made up of health and social care funding. It covered
resources and activities that took place on Feelin’ Good Day and also enabled us to distribute additional resources, provide
more grants than previously and fund prizes for competitions during the Feelin’ Good Week.; Running costs - £15 000 for 2007 The website that we have set up for this year was free as it is hosted on an NHS site and is being developed
by the Service Development Officer for Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS), it is constantly evolving and
expanding with more resources and information. We have allocated £15 000 for the 2006-7 project to fund resources, printing,
merchandise, prizes and grants for both Feelin’ Good Day and Feelin’ Good Week; Total -
|
| Contact Email |
maria.nastri@hertscc.gov.uk |
| Description |
Address and raise the awareness of issues around workplace stress in Leicestershire. |
| Setting |
Workplace |
| Population |
Employees in Leicestershire County |
| Intervention |
Working with organisations to implement the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) Stress Management Standards, providing support
via email network, quarterly leads meetings, providing focused workshops , training and resources
|
| Main Outcome |
To increase the number of workplaces implementing the HSE Stress Management Standards |
| Cost |
Start-up - Start-up costs: £1000. Salary costs of part time worker: £27 000 pro rata. The start up costs were minimal with the survey
of the commercial sector costing approximately £1000.; Running costs - Costs incurred are predominately the salary and training costs of the workers and the purchase of resources. Salary costs
are £27 000 pro rata and resources are £3000.; Total -
|
| Contact Email |
csdavies@leics.gov.uk |
| Description |
A charity that supports mental health service users to be involved in developing and improving services. |
| Setting |
Mental health services |
| Population |
People who have used mental health services in Hertfordshire |
| Intervention |
Using local forums, service users can discuss issues and use their experiences to inform mental health services. Our members
also provide training for mental health staff, students and probationary police officers to improve their understanding of
the service user perspective.
|
| Main Outcome |
Improved mental health services |
| Cost |
Start-up - ; Running costs - £120 000 per annum; Total - |
| Contact Email |
info@hertsviewpoint.co.uk |
