Government cash boost for Locala project to help new mums

The winners of a new multi-million pound fund to reduce health inequalities among new mothers and babies have been announced.

The Health and Wellbeing Fund, based on the theme of ‘starting well’, will help charities run and expand projects to boost mental health for new and expectant mothers

Locala Community Partnerships CIC has been given money for Thriving Kirklees, a VCSE-led partnership delivering vital front-line family health and support services.

The money will enable the service to expand by a new working model within BAME and similarly excluded communities and integrates home-based support services, engages local people in planning, and significantly increases take-up and involvement.

Public Health Minister, Jo Churchill said: "Everyone deserves to live a long, healthy life and the perfect time to start to achieve it is in the beginning. Vital support for improving mental health of mothers, nutrition of babies and the learning and development of children in early years will help ensure the best possible start by reducing the inequality that some face.

"We have had some fantastic, innovative applications for the Health and Wellbeing Fund. I’m looking forward to seeing these winning projects in action, making real, tangible improvements to the lives and health of families."

The Health and Wellbeing Fund is already supporting 23 social prescribing schemes and 23 children and young people’s mental health schemes that are providing important services to communities across England.

It is a part of the Health and Wellbeing Programme, a joint initiative by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), Public Health England (PHE) and NHS England and NHS Improvement (NHSEI).

Locala is a not-for-profit social enterprise that is proud to provide a variety of NHS community healthcare services to people in Kirklees, Calderdale and Bradford.

Those services care for, and support people, from before birth to end of life, ranging from health visitors to physiotherapy, and sexual health to district nursing, as well as dental care, school nurses, and foot care