Up to £100,000 has been made available in a bid to improve health in the mid-Essex community

The Mid and South Essex Integrated Care System is launching a new micro-grant programme which will support projects or initiatives that address health inequalities in the area.

Funding totalling £100,000 has been made available to help improve the health and well-being of those that currently face the worst health outcomes.

The grants will range between £500 and £1,500, and any small-scale voluntary, community, faith and social enterprise sector organisations who come together to support the health and wellbeing of their community can apply.

Applications for the micro-grant programme opened on October 31 and will be offered on a rolling basis until March 31 next year or until all funds are spent.

All grant spending must take place between November 2022 and November 2023.

You can access the application form by emailing funding@community360.org.uk to request an application form.

The grants could be focused on reducing differences in access to care, quality and experience of care, behavioural risks to health and socio-economic factors.

Dr Sophia Morris, system clinical lead for inequalities at the Mid and South Essex Integrated Care System, said: “We want to work closely with partners in the community and residents to make sure we are bridging gaps that cause health inequalities.

"We want to make sure the organisations that access the grants get the support they need and begin to make a difference in the lives of many of our residents who are currently facing health inequalities”.

The micro-grants programme forms part of the work that the NHS and wider health and care partners are doing in mid and south Essex. 

A new inequalities campaign called ‘Narrowing the Gap’ highlights what Mid and South Essex Integrated Care System partners are doing to address these issues.

The week-long campaign will run from November 28 to December 3.

For more information and details on how to get involved follow #NarrowingTheGapMSE on social media and visit ics.nhs.uk.