A total of £86,927 was distributed among 12 organisations
A dozen community projects in Scotland have received a funding boost thanks to a new fund.
The PHP Community Impact Fund, managed by Foundation Scotland and established by Primary Health Properties, launched last Autumn to offer support for health and wellbeing initiatives in the communities served by its medical practices.
Social prescribing enables a holistic approach to people’s health and wellbeing and is increasingly being used to complement the work of GPs and their teams.
The approach plays a vital role in helping communities recover and rebuild after the coronavirus pandemic, with a particular emphasis on services to support mental health and combat loneliness.
Jennifer McPhail, Fund Adviser from Foundation Scotland, said: “We were delighted PHP chose Scotland to pilot this innovative new fund. With 38 properties spread across the country we were able to reach community projects from the Lothians up to Aberdeenshire.
“The Community Impact Fund launched at a critical time following the height of the pandemic. As our NHS continues to be under immense pressure, this is a fantastic initiative from PHP to help improve patient wellbeing outcomes, quality of life and emotional wellbeing.”
A total of £86,927 was distributed among 12 organisations delivering a range of health and wellbeing programmes for their local communities across Scotland.
These include services to support young people’s mental health and social inclusion, art therapy for children with long-term chronic conditions, gardening activities to promote wellbeing.
Parent to Parent, a charity supporting families caring for children with additional needs in Angus, Dundee and Perth & Kinross received £7,827 from the fund to provide more support hours for local families.
The aim of the project is to support and give parents the skills to help them understand and manage the stress and distress in their lives and that of their child. These skills aim to help everyone in the family to recognise their own thoughts, feelings, and behaviours, and help to monitor and manage their own emotions and mental health. It is also designed to help manage distress, regulate emotions, increase mindfulness, and promote effective communication.
Trudy Doidge, head of service for Parent to Parent said: “We are pleased to announce a fabulous addition to our support offer to parents who are experiencing anxiety and mental health concerns and have a child who has, or is suspected of having, additional support needs. A huge thank you to PHP and Foundation Scotland who have provided the grant to extend staffing hours. It will enable us to strengthen our community support network as we work in partnership with GP practices and local community venues.”
In the southside of Glasgow a £5,066 grant was awarded to Glasgow’s Golden Generation to cover the cost of a Dementia Champion while in Perthshire, a £1,732 grant was awarded to Strathcare in Crieff.
Harry Hyman, CEO of Primary Health Care Properties, said: “It’s clear that social prescribing is an important area of growth in promoting health and wellbeing and we look forward to hearing how the organisations we have funded are able to develop their services over the coming months.”
