More than €70m of funding awarded to projects targeting health inequality

By Jonathan McCambridge, PA

More than €70 million of funding has been awarded to projects targeting health inequalities among communities in Northern Ireland and the border counties of Ireland.

The Peaceplus investment will support 80,000 people across a range of areas – including obesity management, medicine management, geriatric medicine, mental health and children’s mental health.

Peaceplus is a €1.14 billion programme managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB).

Eight projects will benefit from the funding.

– Community Connection and Well-being Project – led by the Health Service Executive (HSE Ireland) with partners in both Northern Ireland and Ireland, the project will tackle the social and economic challenges that affect the mental health and well-being of communities along the border counties.

– Changing Lives Initiative: Flourish & Thrive – a project which aims to develop a cross-border, community-led early intervention pathway to address neurodevelopmental conditions, in particular Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).

– Early Intervention Support Youth Hubs – establishing new cross-border early intervention support services for families with children and young people aged one to 17 presenting with social, emotional or behavioural issues consistent with a neurodevelopmental-type presentation.

– Early Frailty Intervention Project (EFIP) – the project will develop a cross-border community-based early frailty infrastructure comprising four cross-border localities between the border counties of Northern Ireland and Ireland.

– Healthier Futures Project (HFP) – focusing on obesity management within cross-border communities, HFP will implement a cross-border community-based model made up of intervention prevention programmes for obesity and weight management programmes.

– Innovation in person-centred Medication Prescribing and Review for Optimal Value and Efficacy (iMPROVE) – led by Ulster University and other partners. The project focusses on medicine management.

– PEACETIME – the project will see the development of a specialist obesity management service for adults with Type 2 diabetes in primary care and the community in Derry, Tyrone, Donegal, Sligo and Leitrim.

– Right Support Right Time – a project promoting positive mental well-being, increasing resilience, and preventing the deterioration of existing mental and emotional distress.

Northern Ireland’s Health Minister Mike Nesbitt said: “At a time when we continue to face significant funding pressures, this investment represents a wonderful opportunity for those involved in the delivery of health and social care services in the border counties.”

Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly said: “I am very pleased that more than €70 million of funding has been awarded to eight health and social care projects.

“These jointly developed and delivered health and social care projects will reach up to 80,000 beneficiaries across a range of areas, enabling them to access quality health and social care services in the most appropriate setting for their needs, improving the health and well-being of people living in Northern Ireland and the border counties of Ireland.

“The contribution that these projects will make towards tackling health inequalities is also particularly welcome.”

SEUPB chief executive Gina McIntyre said: “Cross-border collaboration is proven to deliver considerable benefits in terms of health and social care and bringing equality of access to essential services to local citizens.

“With demands on health and social care services so high, coupled with major issues in terms of resources, cross-border co-operation can alleviate those pressures by delivering economies of scale.

“A joined-up approach can deliver more efficient and effective resources, maximising the potential of technology to transform how healthcare is accessed and delivered.”

Peaceplus is co-funded by the European Union, the UK and Irish governments and the Northern Ireland Executive.