Funding opens for voluntary and community health projects

The latest round of funding to support voluntary and community initiatives to improve UK health and wellbeing has been opened by the Department of Health.

Money from the Innovation, Excellence and Strategic Development Fund will be awarded to voluntary groups that are engaged in testing and developing new ways of working in the health and social care system.

Projects will need to show they can lift health standards, promote improved ways of working to achieve excellent outcomes or support the health and social care sector to develop sustainable business models for the future.

In the last funding round, 49 new projects were recommended for funding under the scheme, at a total cost of 5.5 million pounds for the year.

Care and support minister Norman Lamb said: "It is crucial that we continue to champion our voluntary organisations, because their expertise allows them to design and develop innovative solutions to the big challenges we face in health, public health and social care."

The closing date for applications is October 25th 2013, with projects funded through this latest round to begin in April 2014 and later.