A total £4.51 million has been awarded to fund nine projects aimed at boosting care in communities for thousands of people in Birmingham.

Awarded via NHS Birmingham and Solihull Integrated Care System’s (BSol ICS) innovative Fairer Futures Fund, the grants of up to £640,000 each have been allocated to collaborative, partnership projects led by charities, community and health organisations across the city.

The projects will support the delivery of the government’s 10 Year Health Plan – particularly in tackling health inequalities, creating a neighbourhood health service and shifting the focus from treating illness to preventing ill-health.

Over 27,000 people will directly benefit from the wide-reaching projects, which focus on interventions to support healthy ageing, reduce levels of mental and cardiovascular ill-health and improve the lives of children and young people.

The projects bring together the strengths of health, social care and voluntary, community, faith, social enterprise organisations to deliver long-term change at scale in the heart of communities.

Projects receiving funding are:

  • Forward Carers CIC - Mental health support programme for unpaid carers with a focus on engaging over 5,000 carers from underserved communities that experience health inequalities.
  • Midland Mencap - Working with primary care and local communities to improve uptake and quality of annual health checks for citizens with learning disabilities.
  • FND Change CIC - Increasing local capacity to provide testing for blood borne viruses and provide a recovery pathway for individuals facing significant mental and physical health challenges linked to addiction, and blood-borne viruses, particularly Hepatitis C.
  • BID Services - Recruiting ‘Deaf Health Champions’ to tackle health inequalities experienced by deaf and hard of hearing citizens.
  • Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust - Developing a more culturally sensitive and effective approach to dementia diagnosis with a focus on underserved communities.
  • Midlands Medical Partnership – Delivering campaigns and developing health champions to work in communities to tackle health inequalities experienced by men of a Black Caribbean and African heritage.
  • Murray Hall Community Trust - Developing and utilising community assets to improve mental health and wellbeing for South Asian communities.
  • Sense, the National Deafblind and Rubella Association - Addressing the need for timely, accessible and holistic support for families of children and young people on the neurodevelopmental pathway.
  • Witton Lodge Community Association – Delivering behavioural change interventions for citizens from underserved communities with type 2 diabetes to support them through weight management and lifestyle change.

The nine projects are due to launch in September 2025 and conclude in March 2028.

Paul Athey, Deputy Chief Executive and Chief Finance Officer of NHS Birmingham and Solihull, said: “Our Fairer Futures Fund provides a key opportunity for us to support the implementation of the 10-Year Health Plan and these new projects will provide access to services at a neighbourhood level, which will enhance the day-to-day lives of our communities, helping them to live healthier, happier lives.”

Cllr Mariam Khan, Birmingham City Council's Cabinet Member for Health and Social Care and Chair of the Council's Health and Wellbeing Board, said: “These projects demonstrate the power of collaboration between local government, the NHS, and the voluntary and community sector. We are proud to support initiatives that are rooted in the communities they serve, and which tackle the health challenges people face.”

BSol ICS has worked in partnership with Birmingham Voluntary Service Council (BVSC) to allocate the funding.

Stephen Raybould. Programmes Director at BVSC, said: “This is a fantastic example of how we can harness the expertise and reach of Birmingham’s vibrant voluntary, community, faith and social enterprise sector to tackle health inequalities across the city. We are proud to be playing an integral role in ensuring investment from the Fairer Futures Fund delivers lasting change in our local communities.”

The Fairer Futures Fund is a key part of BSol ICS’s strategic vision to radically transform how health and social care services are delivered in Birmingham and Solihull.  Launched in 2022, a total £22.2m will be awarded to new, innovative, community-based health projects by March 2027.