NHS England awards 2 out of 11 national grants to Brighton organisations

NHS England has awarded 11 Celebrating Participation in Healthcare grants, to community groups and organisations that have developed innovative and creative ways to get patients and the public involved in shaping healthcare services. Two of the grants have been awarded to Brighton and Hove projects. One of them is Mind in Brighton and Hove’s LiVE Project which aims to support people with lived experience of mental health issues to develop diverse and varied approaches to engagement to help shape local services. The other is a joint project between Healthwatch Brighton & Hove and the Jaffa Panel (run by Brighton & Sussex University Hospitals Trust) which will be used to film work showing how patients and the public have contributed to NHS health research on issues such as stroke, HIV and renal care.

Sarah Danily, Director of Mind in Brighton and Hove says that “We are delighted to have this opportunity to showcase the work of the LiVE project and its members.”

Scott Harfield, Research & Development Manager (BSUHT) says that “The Jaffa panel is an incredibly valuable part of the research that is undertaken in the Trust. It is fantastic that their efforts have been recognised by NHS England and we look forward to seeing the output from the Community Grant.”

Nicky Cambridge, Healthwatch Brighton and Hove CEO says that “It is fantastic that NHS England has decided to support our project. It is important that patients’ voices are used to shape health and social care research not just services.” The new engagement resources that are developed through these projects will be shared on NHS England’s website and through local and national networks. They will help health and voluntary sector organisations from across England to learn from this successful engagement work and put their own projects in place.