Six figures for hospital project taking a whole family approach

The facility offered through SPACE Pilot (Social Prescribing And Community rEsources) is wide-ranging and designed to complement the work of medical clinicians for up to six months. It includes help to access emotional and practical services, such as from specialist and community providers, assistance with housing improvements, benefits and grant information, school and education arrangements, healthy eating, cooking and other activities that can build a family’s confidence in their ability to manage their situation while their child is unwell.

The initiative is just one of several currently operating in the North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board (NENC ICB) region to be hosted by Newcastle-based Ways to Wellness, a charity that provides evidence-driven expertise and resources to test the potential of new healthcare initiatives to improve both patient outcomes and service delivery.

The work taking place in SPACE Pilot, and its evaluation by researchers from Newcastle University, who were funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Applied Research Collaboration (ARC) North East and North Cumbria, is covered in detail in a paper published by authors including Dr Anna Basu, a clinical senior lecturer and honorary consultant paediatric neurologist, who came up with the idea for the project and approached Ways to Wellness to help her implement it.

The research, which looked at the detailed experiences of 18 families who have used the SPACE Pilot service, found that for every £1 spent delivering the programme, it has created benefits worth £2.75.

In its abstract the British Medical Council (BMC) Health Services Research report states: “Families reported having felt overwhelmed when trying to adjust to new ways of life post diagnosis…with little support to navigate non-medical needs.

“Parents…and healthcare professionals found link worker support invaluable for making community services accessible. Families then felt more connected to their communities, and less isolated, with increased belief in their self-efficacy.”

Dr Basu added: “Our study shows the real benefits of supporting children with neurodisabilities and their families through social prescribing – both emotionally and financially. Having link workers come into the hospital is a vital part of the scheme, as it makes the service more accessible for some families and allows support to start early.”

The £200,000 investment is part of £923,100 being distributed by NHS Charities Together’s Innovation Challenge Fund into projects tackling health and healthcare inequalities for children and young people aged up to 18 over the next three years. The overall ambition for the fund is to invest £40 million over the next 10 years, helping to build a healthier future for all.

This is because health and healthcare inequality can have a major impact on health, affecting quality of life and placing extra pressures on health and care services. For example, the Health Foundation’s Young People’s Future Health Enquiry found that people aged 10 to 14 living in the most deprived areas will live 18 more years in ill health than their peers in the least deprived areas.

Childhood health can define health in later life, and access to quality healthcare for children and young people is therefore essential to ensure all young people have the opportunity to thrive.

Jon Goodwin, Head of Grants at NHS Charities Together, said: “We’re delighted that SPACE Pilot is one of six projects that have been awarded grants, in this case £200,000, to support it over the next three years.

“We know that sadly where someone is born can affect their long-term health, and this and other projects across the UK are aimed at tackling unfair health inequalities and giving every young person the support they need.”

Teri Bayliss, charity director at Newcastle Hospitals Charity, added: “We’re pleased to have been awarded this funding with Ways to Wellness to support Anna and the team to further expand SPACE Pilot.

“It is our mission to go further for our hospitals and the funding for this project will help us continue to support young patients and their families at The Great North Children’s Hospital.”

Understand more about SPACE Pilot on Ways to Wellness’ YouTube channel. And to find out more about how Ways to Wellness works with its partners to test and scale healthcare solutions, visit waystowellness.org.uk. Or if there’s an idea you might like to prototype, contact the team to arrange a discussion on 0191 816 3540 or at info@waystowellness.org.uk.