NHS England has awarded grants to two projects that involve patients and the public in helping to shape health services in Brighton and Hove.
The two grants were among 11 handed out by the NHS for Celebrating Participation in Healthcare projects.
The grants of up to £1,000 each are intended for community groups and organisations that have developed innovative and creative ways to involve patients and the public.
One of the local organisations to receive a grant is Mind in Brighton and Hove. The group’s LiVE Project aims to support people with “lived experience” of mental health issues to develop “diverse and varied approaches to engagement to help shape local services”.
Sarah Danily, the director of Mind in Brighton and Hove, said: “We are delighted to have this opportunity to showcase the work of the LiVE project and its members.”
The other local grant is for a joint project between Healthwatch Brighton and Hove and the Jaffa Panel which is run by Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals Trust.
It will be used to film work showing how patients and the public have contributed to shaping new health research ideas across the trust.
The panel meets weekly at the hospital and gives researchers patient feedback on their new research ideas in a style similar to the TV programme Dragons’ Den.
Scott Harfield, the trust’s research and development manager, said: “The Jaffa panel is an incredibly valuable part of the research that is undertaken in the trust.
“It is fantastic that their efforts have been recognised by NHS England and we look forward to seeing the output from the community grant.”
Healthwatch Brighton and Hove chief executive Nicky Cambridgesaid: “It is fantastic that NHS England has decided to support our project. It is important that patients’ voices are used to shape health and social care research not just services.”
The results of the two local projects will be shared by on NHS England on its website and through local and national networks.
They are intended to help health and voluntary sector organisations from across England to learn from successful engagement work and put their own projects in place.
