Expressions of interest for community funding

Expressions of interest - community funding for winter 2024/25

This project has now closed to new applications - thank you to everyone who has applied.
We will be intouch with all organisations who have applied by the end of September 2024.

Introduction

The NHS in North West London is launching its winter community funding campaign aimed at promoting health messages, information on services and routine winter vaccinations. With the winter season approaching we want to help our communities to stay well and know how to get the right help when they need it.

This campaign focuses on the following key areas and messages:

• Vaccinations for adults: Information on the annual flu and COVID-19 booster vaccinations to help protect ourselves and our communities
• Flu vaccination for children: Emphasising the importance of the nasal spray for children to help prevent the spread of flu.
• Navigating health services: Providing information on where to seek help for various health needs, including GP services, NHS app, 111 online, 111 phone service and pharmacies.
• GP access: Offering guidance on how to access GP services to ensure timely and effective medical care.
• Self-care: Sharing general winter health messages to encourage staying warm, active, and connected during the colder months.

A significant amount of communication activity will be undertaken by the local NHS this winter to help share these messages effectively.

We also want to understand barriers and motivations, enhance community engagement, and provide targeted support to improve health outcomes. By collaborating with local community groups, we aim to make better use of their trusted positions to share information and gather valuable feedback.

What we are looking to fund – how you can help

We want to reach as many people as possible in NW London. We know that using word of mouth and trusted community organisations are powerful and effective means of informing, building understanding and hearing feedback.

We are looking for organisations that can have conversations with people, who can share the messages, verbally and through conversation with families and communities. We will provide simple messages and an information sheet to support this.

(We are not looking to just fund leaflets being handed out.)

Application expectations

Applicants are required to demonstrate how they will:

• Engage in meaningful conversations with community members to share key health messages.
• Collect qualitative feedback on the community's motivations and barriers regarding vaccinations.
• Reach diverse groups, including those in high deprivation areas, ethnic groups seldom heard, new residents, homeless individuals, asylum seekers, people not registered with a GP, children and parents, and pregnant women.
• Provide detailed reports on their activities, the number of people reached, demographic information, and the qualitative feedback collected.

Successful applicants will be expected to provide monthly reports outlining their outreach activities and the qualitative insights gathered. This feedback is essential for understanding the challenges and motivations of different community groups and for improving our future health campaigns.

By including these elements, we aim to ensure a thorough and inclusive approach to health communication and community engagement this winter.

Funding

With our funding we are looking to commission a small number of groups/organisations in each borough across NW London to help us with our outreach work.

We are ideally looking to provide up to £3.5k per organisation but will consider higher bids if you are covering multiple areas and/or groups.

Our aim is to have organisations ready to start their work from mid-October 2024 through to February 2025.

Please specify on your application if you can specifically support children and young families, in addition to our outreach to adults, we are also looking for organisations who can support us with information on the children's flu nasal spray.

The closing date for initial applications will be 9 September 2024 - with a view to advising on successful bids with-in two weeks of that date.

Who we want to reach - audiences and demographics

Whilst we want to reach as many people as possible, we know there are groups and areas where we need a greater focus.  These include:

• Areas of high deprivation where there are often poorer health outcomes
• Ethnicities who would consider themselves seldom heard
• Those who are new to NW London and/or the UK
• Homeless
• Asylum seekers
• People not registered with a GP
• Children and parents (especially around the children’s flu vaccination)
• Pregnant women (especially for vaccination messages)

How we will support you - training and resources

If you are successful in your funding bid, we will invite you to a webinar where we will talk through our key messages and share our existing resources with you. 

We anticipate being able to provide a small volume of printed materials, in different languages, to support your conversations if this is required.  This does not need to be factored into your funding plan.

You will also be provided with a point of contact for any queries that arise during the project.

How will we measure your success – reporting and evaluation

We will provide up to 50% of the funding upfront.  You will then be required to evidence the activity you have undertaken and provide a monthly report outlining how many people you’ve reached, demographic information and verbatim feedback you’ve heard during your outreach work.

Templates will be provided and we will keep this as simple as possible to ensure that the majority of your time is focussed on outreach and delivery.

The remaining 50% will be paid upon successful completion of the work.

Please use this link to submit your bid for winter community funding

Applications are now closed.
Thank you to organisations who have submitted applications, these are now being reviewed and you will be contacted shortly (4/03/2024).

 

Introduction:

The NHS in North West London is launching a targeted initiative to address low MMR vaccination uptake among children in our eight London boroughs. To achieve this, we are seeking partnerships with community organisations to facilitate education sessions and promote vaccination within specific communities experiencing lower vaccination rates. This initiative aims to address health inequalities and improve vaccination rates, particularly among communities facing higher health risks.

Campaign focus:

• Data-driven approach: Utilising data to identify communities with low MMR vaccination rates among children, segmented by ethnicity.
• Community engagement: Partnering with organisations representing these communities to conduct educational sessions aimed at promoting vaccination, dispelling myths, and emphasizing the benefits of MMR vaccination.
• Collaborative vaccination efforts: Following educational sessions, our vaccination Roving Team will go in to the community to administer vaccinations to individuals who express interest in receiving them.

Funding opportunity:

• Organisations serving communities with low MMR vaccination uptake will have the opportunity to apply for funding through this Expression of Interest process.
• Funding will support the delivery of targeted education sessions and outreach efforts within specific communities.

Target communities:

Whilst we want to reach as many children as possible, we know there are certain groups and areas where we need a particular focus, including:

• Communities identified through data analysis as having low MMR vaccination uptake amongst children.
• Areas of high deprivation where there are often poorer health outcomes.
• Populations that would consider themselves seldom heard and perhaps mistrustful of healthcare organizations.

Support and resources:

• Funding will be provided to selected organisations to conduct education sessions tailored to their communities, emphasising the importance of MMR vaccination and addressing any concerns or misconceptions.
• The NHS will provide support and guidance throughout the process, including assistance with vaccination logistics and co-ordination with the NW London vaccination toving Team.
• Printed materials in multiple languages, as required, to support outreach efforts and provide additional information to parents considering vaccination for their child.

Measurement of success:

• Success will be measured by increased MMR vaccination uptake among targeted communities, as evidenced by post-session feedback and vaccination data.
• Organisations will be required to report on outreach activities, participant engagement, and vaccination uptake as part of the evaluation process.
• Simplified reporting template to be provided to streamline the process and focus efforts on outreach.

Application process:

• Organisations interested in serving communities with low MMR vaccination uptake are invited to submit expressions of interest detailing their proposed approach and the specific communities they aim to engage.
• Organizations or groups must specify the amount of funding required up to a maximum amount of £5,000 (in exceptional circumstances higher amounts may be considered if there is a strong evidential argument for additional resources). 
• All applications will be considered in conjunction with the available funding and which areas are considered to be a priority.
• Successful applicants will receive funding to support their outreach efforts and facilitate vaccination uptake within their communities.

Application deadline: Expressions of Interest must be submitted as soon as possible but no later than midnight 03 April 2024.

Please use this link to submit your bid for MMR/measles children vaccination campaign.

Thank you to all our community groups that supported this work.
More information on how your feedback has helped develop this work will be shared soon (August 2023).

 

Background

NHS cancer screening programmes can help to diagnose cancer or risk of cancer earlier and improve the likelihood of successful treatment. There are three national cancer screening programmes in England.

• Cervical screening
  • The NHS cervical screening programme in England is offered to people with a cervix aged from 25 to 64. Routine screening is offered every three years up to 49 years of age and every five years from 50 to 64 years of age.
• Breast screening
  • Breast screening is offered to women aged 50 to their 71st birthday in England. You’ll be invited for screening within three years of your 50th birthday
• Bowel screening.
  • men and women aged 60-74 are sent a home testing kit every two years to collect a small sample of poo to be checked for tiny amounts of blood which could be caused by cancer. 

Screening tests can detect a problem early, before you have any symptoms. Finding out about a problem early can mean that treatment is more effective.

What we are looking to fund – how you can help

Screening rates vary across NW London and we are keen to hear from as many residents as possible to understand the barriers to attending screenings.  This will enable us to shape future activity to provide reassurance, to enable residents to make informed decisions about their healthcare and to hopefully increase screening rates in the area leading to improved health outcomes.

With our funding we are looking to commission a number of groups/organisations in each borough to help us gather feedback. 

We are looking to provide £1-3,000 per organisation but will consider higher bids if you are covering multiple areas or groups.

The funding is specifically for activity which will explore barriers to attending the three national screenings.  This could include events, community conversations, online activity etc.

 

Who do we want to reach - Audiences and demographics

We want to reach as many people as possible.  As outlined in the background above, the groups entitled to attend screenings are:

Cervical screening – All women aged 25-64

Breast screening – All women aged 50-71

Bowel screening – All men and women aged 60-74

 

How we will support you - Training and resources

If you are successful in your funding bid then we will invite you to a webinar where we will talk through our key messages and share our existing resources with you. 

We anticipate being able to provided printed materials to explain about how to get screenings, in different languages, so this does not need to be factored into your funding plan.

You will also be provided with a point of contact for any queries that arise during the project.

 

How will be measure success – reporting and evaluation

You will be expected to evidence the activity you have undertaken and provide a report outlining the verbatim feedback you’ve heard during your outreach work.

Templates will be provided and we will keep this as simple as possible to ensure that the majority of your time is focussed on delivery.