Take a look at last year’s winners to help you put together a winning entry

2009 Winner Reducing Health Inequalities - NHS Blackburn with Darwen

This new category for 2010 recognises organisations that have provided high quality services for children and young people. Here we look at NHS Blackburn with Darwen’s award for Reducing Health Inequalities last year.

“An excellent example of housing and health working together to engage and empower whole communities with a wide range of projects and programmes that win hearts and minds” was how the judges viewed NHS Blackburn with Darwen’s winning entry.

The primary care trust has been working with the Twin Valley Homes housing association on a joint strategy - Driving the Changes - to tackle health, unemployment and financial inclusion issues.

Tenants from 8,000 of the housing association’s residences live in some of the country’s most disadvantaged wards. They typically have complex health needs.

Using combined skills and resources, interpreting data and social marketing, the projects have started to deal with the socio-demographic determinants of health while promoting wellbeing. The range of joint initiatives stemming from the programme includes:

  • sessions aimed at young people from black and minority ethnic communities addressing drugs and antisocial behaviour;
  • health messages in calendars and newsletters going out to all Twin Valley households;
  • promotional work on child immunisation delivered via free children’s first birthday parties;
  • developing a garden centre as a site for the unemployed, rehabilitation programmes and healthy eating awareness;
  • anger management courses for young men.

Enter now

What judges want

  • Evidence the services are specifically designed with children in mind, recognising they have specific needs and that they are looked after in a suitable environment by people who understand this
  • Evidence that family needs are met
  • Evidence that services reach those at risk of exclusion, such as children in care or from ethnic minorities
  • Innovative ways to provide services using, for example, assessment units, multidisciplinary teams, outreach and IT
  • Services are cost effective and meet the QIPP challenge
  • Services are age-appropriate with an emphasis on prevention, earlier diagnosis, better treatment and better coordination

Sponsored by: the Department of Health

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