Seven Projects Receive Grants to Improve Health Literacy Across Surrey
We are pleased to announce that seven projects involving ten VCSE organisations across Surrey have been awarded grants through the new Clearer Care programme, a health literacy initiative designed to help organisations make health information, services and communication clearer, more accessible and more inclusive for local communities.
Delivered in partnership between NHS Surrey and Sussex (formerly Surrey Heartlands) Health & Care Partnership, Luminus, the Community Foundation for Surrey and a health literacy specialist, Clearer Care supports voluntary and community organisations to simplify how health information is shared, with the aim of reducing health inequalities across the county.
Each successful applicant receives a grant of £2,500, alongside expert consultancy and evaluation support.
The awarded projects span a wide range of communities and health needs. Central Surrey Voluntary Action will develop accessible NHS navigation resources for Surrey's Ukrainian community, while Home-Start Elmbridge will co-produce multilingual materials on safe sleep and early years funding for local parents. Dyscover will create training videos for healthcare professionals to improve clinical communication for people living with primary progressive aphasia, and Surrey Coalition of Disabled People will produce digital visual guides for patients going through audiology testing at Royal Surrey County Hospital.
Shooting Star Children's Hospices, Phyllis Tuckwell and Princess Alice Hospices are joining forces on a Surrey-wide approach to improving understanding of palliative and end-of-life care. Healthwatch Surrey will focus on improving access to sight tests for Asian residents, and The Include Project will develop accessible resources on hypertension for adults with learning disabilities and autism.
Projects are expected to be underway by late summer, with all work completed within 12 months.
| Application & Grant request | Awarded | Project |
|---|---|---|
| Healthwatch Surrey | £2,500 | Following on from research identifying barriers to accessing sight tests amongst Black and Asian minoritised groups in Surrey, Healthwatch will work with NHS partners to co-design accessible educational material explaining routine eye testing including diabetic eye tests. |
| Surrey Coalition of Disabled People | £2,500 | Working with the Head of Audiology and the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Lead at the Royal Surrey County Hospital (RSCH) and members to co-produce digital visual stories (pictures and short video clips with subtitles in plain English) for the Audiology website. This will break down and document the appointment process, step-by step, allowing patients to confidently plan their visit. |
| The Include Project | £2,500 | To improve health literacy around hypertension among adults with learning disabilities, autism and other communication needs across Surrey through a co-produced and partnership-based approach. |
|
Shooting Star Children's Hospices Princess Alice Hospice Phyllis Tuckwell Hospice |
£7,500 |
Using health literacy expertise, including targeted approaches with people experiencing health inequalities, the project will co-design material to:
|
| Home-Start Elmbridge | £2,500 |
To co-design and co-create clear, understandable and relatable information about safe sleep and early years funding, working with:
|
| Dyscover | £2,500 |
To consult with the Dementia nurses at St George's and people living with Primary Progressive Aphasia (PPA) to identify key communication challenges and effective support strategies. Co-design and co-create short training videos, using these as part of a pilot workshop for healthcare professionals working in dementia services.
|
| Central Surrey Voluntary Action | £2,500 |
Supporting the Ukrainian population in Surrey to improve understanding of NHS services and how to access care appropriately. This includes:
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