The East Midlands Academic Health Science Network (EMAHSN) is offering a funding boost for vital community and voluntary groups that provide important support for patients to help shape local health services. APPLICATIONS ARE NOW OPEN.

EMAHSN have opened a third round of funding, following previous successful bursaries for up to a further ten East Midlands groups. Each successful group will receive £1,500. This is a vital contribution for many groups and will contribute towards meeting running costs. The funding will support their fantastic work to promote innovations and the adoption and spread of best practice within patient, carer and public involvement in healthcare delivery and health research across the East Midlands.

Groups can apply for funding up until the 5 May 2017. EMAHSN launched the fund because it recognises that many voluntary groups find it difficult even to cover basic costs such as travel and members’ out-of-pocket expenses. Many groups exist to make sure that experiences of patients and public are at the heart of future decisions about health services – something that is central to EMAHSN and that it wants to encourage and sustain.

Often, just small amounts of funding can make a big difference and help ensure these essential groups can continue to sustain and develop their contributions to new models of healthcare and innovative approaches.

Mike Hannay, Managing Director of EMAHSN, said; “Patient and Public Involvement groups are at the very heart of health service improvement and the East Midlands has a great network made up of many hundreds of volunteers who commit their time to making sure that patients are listened to.

“They reach out to many people who otherwise would not have the opportunity to contribute, including many minority groups, and EMAHSN recognises that they play an important role. They feed back on patients’ experiences and ideas, which are often subsequently taken on board by healthcare and other organisations. These small grants will help to ensure they can continue to represent the views of patients and the public on some of the biggest health challenges facing our region.”

Applications for the grants will be considered by the East Midlands PPI Senate, an independent expert group of patients and public with varied health service user experience. The senate supports health and social care organisations to embed patient engagement.

For full details and to apply for a bursary award visit: www.healthinnovation-em.org.uk/public-involvement/patient-and-public-involvement-grants

NOTES TO EDITORS

2016 grants list:

• ‘Making a change’ Northampton Black Minority Ethnic (BME) PPI Group
• Nottingham University Hospitals Patient Safety Engagement Group
• New Youth (Leicester and Derby)
• Carers Voice Northampton
• Friends and Bredrins (FAB) Nottingham
• Love Hearts Nottingham
• Alzheimer’s Society Service User Review Panel (SURP) East Midlands
• Nottingham Maternity Research Network (Notts Maternity)

EMAHSN is one of 15 Academic Health Science Networks in England. EMAHSN brings together the NHS, universities, industry, patients, third sector and social care to transform the health of the region’s 4.6m residents and stimulate wealth. Current priorities focus on identifying and spreading innovations that address challenges including cancer, obesity, diabetes, mental health, respiratory disease and liver disease

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