Over the past year, Healthy London Partnership (HLP) has been working in collaboration with three London boroughs (Camden, Merton and Southwark) to design and test new integrated service models for mental health, musculoskeletal pain and employment support.
In London, musculoskeletal disorders and mental health problems are the most common conditions that influence people’s ability to work. The Work and Health Accelerator model aims to provide as many people as possible with access to the support they want and need to enable them to get back into work or continue working.
As part of this work and in partnership with Arts Council England and the Mayor of London, the project is now inviting proposals from arts and cultural organisations who can work with us to help improve the health and wellbeing of people with mental health problems in Southwark or Merton.
Grants of up to £10,000 per organisation are available for programmes working to a time frame of between three to six months. A total of £60,000 is available to be split equally between both boroughs. Healthy London Partnership hopes that these types of grants will enable us to better understand the range of factors that can help all local areas to deliver on related approaches for both social prescribing and universal personalised care.
The latest evidence from the World Health Organisation points to the many connected ways in which the arts help to improve health and wellbeing. Arts activities show promise in being able to soothe the ‘fight or flight’ response, trigger the self-soothing (‘parasympathetic’) response, and help people reflect on and perceive difficulties and challenges in new ways.
In Southwark we encourage a focus on the current arts and health activity in the Dulwich area, and/ or the current focus of public health engagement work in Walworth. In Merton we have an emphasis on the East Merton Network and we also encourage making connections with the Merton Voluntary Sector Mental Health Forum.
HLP and other partners will work with successful grant applicants in several practical ways, tailored to grant specific needs and goals. Support could include help with optimising referral channels, partnering with other local organisations, designing appropriate monitoring and evaluation frameworks, building a business case for longer term funding and tapping into the burgeoning innovation and evidence.
Further information on how to apply, as well as the application forms can be downloaded here.
The deadline for applications is 5pm, Friday 8th May 2020 (extended from the original application deadline on Monday 16th March 2020).