Wandsworth Care Alliance

NHS South West London – Wandsworth Spring Grant Fund 2025 – Empowering communities to shape health and care services

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  • Are you a community leader of a voluntary organisation in south west London?
  • Do you know what matters most to the people you support?  Do you have knowledge about the health and care needs of the communities you work with?
  • Can you run an engaging activity and share what you have heard to shape the future of health and care?

The NHS in south west London is offering funding to support community-led activities and discussions that gather valuable insights. Wandsworth Care Alliance will be administering this grant on behalf of the NHS.

What funding is available?

Fund 1 & 2 – grants up to £550

Fund 3 – grants up to £2,000

Healthy Communities grant (Fund 1) and Digital & Health grant (Fund 2) – up to £550 available

What’s involved?

  • Host an activity and have conversations about health and care topics.
  • Use your knowledge and skills to share what you have heard with us
  • Join a short NHS training session – covering how to record feedback and insight from your community.
  • Share what you heard – take part in an interview after your activity with a local project lead and complete a short feedback form.
  • Join a listening event with NHS leaders – date to be confirmed soon!

This fund is flexible, and its focus is to hear from our most disadvantaged and marginalised communities. It is up to you to decide how and when you collect insight, this could be during your event or in the lead up to your activity. 

The NHS is funding you as a community leader to help us understand the experiences and views of the people you reach and support.

We simply ask that you have these conversations in a way that works for you, then share feedback and insight. You’ll need to complete a short form to help us capture themes along with an interview with a local project lead from Wandsworth Care Alliance. 

What can you apply for?

We would like to understand the views of people and communities on the following topics:  

  • Fund 1: Healthy communities fund – understand what helps people living in Wandsworth to stay healthy and what stops people from seeking support and preventing illness.
  • Fund 2: Digital and health fund – understand how technology can improve access to care and what digital barriers do people face.

Who we’d like to reach?

We’re particularly keen to hear from communities who often face barriers to healthcare.

If applying for a Healthy Communities grant (Fund 1), we’d like to hear from:

  • People from our most deprived areas – see application form for more details
  • People who experience issues or barriers in accessing health and care.
  • People who have lived experience of mental health services or support  
  • Groups supporting social connection, such as outdoor activities and events
  • People from our health inclusion groups – including migrants and refugees, people who are homeless, people facing social exclusion

If applying for a Digital & Health grant (Fund 2) we’d like to hear from:

  • People who face barriers using technology
  • People from our most deprived areas – see application form for more details
  • People from our health inclusion groups – including migrants and refugees, people who are homeless, people facing social exclusion.

Oral health community grant fund (Fund 3) – In-depth focus groups and community research – grants of up to £2,000 available

We are looking for community leaders and organisations to carry out in-depth focus groups and one-to-one discussions about oral health.

Your activity should focus on healthy mouths and teeth, gathering detailed insights from your community to help improve local services.

For more information and to support your application, please download this information pack on oral health grants for Wandsworth: Spring Engagement Grants – Google Drive

What’s involved?

  • Run structured focus groups and one-to-one interviews with:
    • People from our most deprived areas – see application form for more details
    • People from our health inclusion groups – for example people who are homeless or living in temporary accommodation, refugees, migrants, Gypsy, Roma & Traveller communities
    • Children and young people, their parents and carers
    • Older people over the age of 60
  • Join an NHS training session – covering how to record feedback and insight from the communities you work with and reach. 
  • Capture views, experiences and insights using key questions (provided by the NHS).
  • Submit a detailed report summarising your findings. Don’t worry we will help you plan for your report and provide lots of tips and guidance.
  • Join a listening event with NHS leaders – date coming soon!

Who we’d like to hear from:

  • Community leaders and organisations with strong connections to these communities and groups.
  • Those with the capacity to dedicate time to running structured discussions and reporting insights.

What could your funding support?

  • Focus groups and community research
  • Facilitator time for running in-depth discussions
  • Costs related to community engagement and participation.

How will applications be assessed?

You can apply for more than one grant, but applications will be assessed based on:

  • Reach and inclusion – how well you connect with the communities the NHS would like to reach. More information for each grant above.
  • Engagement approach – how you plan to capture insights and feedback from your communities.
  • Commitment to training and feedback – willingness to attend training and a follow-up interview.

Why your voice matters

As a community leader, you have the trust, connections, and insight to reach people in ways others can’t. By getting involved, you’ll help shape health and care services to better reflect the needs of Wandsworth residents.

Key information

  • Application deadline: 19 March 2025 at 17:00 
  • Funding available:
    • Fund 1 & 2: Up to £550
    • Fund 3: Up to £2,000
  • Who can apply: Community and voluntary organisations in Wandsworth.
  • To find out more – join our information session on Thursday 27 February at 1pm, please register sign up here!

How to apply?

Got questions?
Speak to a member of the team at Wandsworth Care Alliance:
Contact: Jessica on Jessica@wandcareall.org.uk.
 

Share and Care Homeshare: Creating Connections for Independent Living

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Caroline Cooke, director of community interest company, Share and Care Homeshare (www.shareandcare.co.uk) and Dementia Friends Ambassador

Share and Care Homeshare matches younger people (the average age of a Sharer is 39) who need an affordable place to live, with older people (the average age of a Householder is 84) who need some extra support to remain living independently in their own home. Costing just £165 per month, the Sharer offers the Householder 10-15 hours of support each week in a mix of practical help and company, plus the reassurance that comes from a regular presence and someone living in the home.

It can be a lifeline across generations, and people living with dementia are among those most likely to benefit from an arrangement. Other drivers to Homeshare include anxiety, loneliness, reduced mobility, poor eyesight and a host of others.

Matching connections

There are several reasons that Homeshare works so well; people are carefully paired to create strong connections – such as placing an elderly medical professor with dementia with a medical student – and taking into consideration common interests. It isn’t necessarily about a Sharer having specific experience; it’s about matching Sharers with the right manner, empathy, reliability and patience. Safeguarding is of huge importance too; all Sharers are fully-vetted, and Share and Care Homeshare remains in on-going contact for the duration of each arrangement.

Homeshare is incredibly flexible, sitting well alongside other support services; Householders often have visits from Carers alongside their Sharer. Equally, it works well for individuals and couples. For instance, a married couple where the wife has dementia; having a Sharer enables her husband to balance his time caring for his wife alongside a little respite time for himself when he can arrange to meet up with his friends for social events, with the reassurance of knowing there is a Sharer is at home. In some instances, if there in an additional spare bedroom, a Householder may have two Sharers (at no extra cost), so they benefit from additional support.

Thriving independently

In recent years, the number of people living in Homeshare arrangements has significantly risen. One of the reasons is that some people may not need – or be ready for, or be able to afford – residential or full-time live -in care. The kind of support a Sharer offers is reassuring to someone older; whether it be preparing an evening dinner a few times a week, picking up shopping, carrying heavier items, or simply as a companion to chat with and the reassurance of someone else living in the home. These can all help the frustration and anxiety that can come with getting older.  Sharers can also be great at providing a gentle nudge for people’s daily routines, or trigger reminders to take medicine or remember social commitments.

Having a Sharer in the home offers a greater capacity for independent living, reducing the risk of falls, improving wellbeing by reducing social isolation and loneliness, and increasing engagement in life.  Genuine, strong friendships are built and both parties become like family to each other. Importantly too is the impact on families who may live too far away to provide instant support. With Homeshare comes peace-of-mind that parents or loved ones are not alone.

Free Seated Exercise Classes

We have been running our Seated Exercise Classes over Zoom, at 11am on Wednesday mornings, for a few years now. Led by an experienced personal trainer,  the classes are about 30 minutes. People can sign up either through the link on our website, or by sending us an email.  

Dementia Information Sessions

Caroline Cooke is a Dementia Friends Ambassador and has been trained by the Alzheimer’s Society to deliver dementia information sessions, either in person or on-line. The sessions are interactive and informative and last about 1 hour; please contact Caroline if you would be interested in arranging a session.

Founded in 2006, and based in Putney, Share and Care Homeshare is a Community Interest Company (CIC), and is the largest and most experienced homeshare provider in the UK.

Tel: 020 3865 3398

Email: info@shareandcare.co.uk

Website: www.shareandcare.co.uk

Unlock free training & workforce development opportunities for your staff in 2025

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We want to introduce you to Roberto from Need 2 Succeed. His organisation is delivering a programme on behalf, the South West London VCSE Alliance, which is about VCSE organisations across SWL utilising the unspent NHS levy to pay for training/workforce development opportunities for any of your existing members of staff through apprenticeships.

There are lots of relevant courses that your staff could take advantage of (and completely covered by the donation, anything from master’s degree level to Level 2 or 3 courses). Roberto can guide you on how to receive the donation, choose the right courses and enrol employees on a one to one basis after the workshop on the 26th February. The online workshop is taking place on Wednesday 26th February, from 11am – 1pm.

Given how tight budgets are at present, we thought it might be a great way to be able to offer training and a progression pathway to employees. You can attend the workshop and Need 2 Succeed can also provide one to one support after that. 

Book your space here.

If you’d like more information before the workshop please contact Roberto from Need 2 Succeed at roberto@need2succeed.co.uk.

The National Budget – VCS response

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The Chancellor’s autumn budget statement announced changes that will all impact employers, including Voluntary Sector Organisations (VSOs) with paid staff.
 
The proposed National Insurance Increase along with the London Living Wage increase could have a significant impact on VSOs’ ability to deliver on existing contracts. Many VSOs receive the majority of their funding from The South West London ICB (NHS) and Wandsworth Council. VSOs play an invaluable role in preventing residents’ social, financial, medical and mental health issues from escalating and dramatically reduce the demand on NHS services. The consequences of these announced changes could therefore be catastrophic for the vulnerable residents that VSOs support.

WCA, as part of the South West London Voluntary Sector Alliance, addressed these concerns collectively as a written Call to Action to senior staff of the South West London ICB and Wandsworth Council.
 

Read our letter to the council and the responses from both the Council and the ICB below:

SWL VCSE – Impact of increase in National Insurance
Impact of National Insurance Increase on South West London VCSE Organisations

If you are a VSO with paid staff funded by either the Council or ICB, please do reach out to your commissioning officer to discuss how this may impact you. And as always, please do reach out to us at WCA if you would like to discuss this further with us  admin@wandcareall.org.uk.

Voluntary Sector Forum – December 2024 highlights

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On Wednesday 4th December we had our last Voluntary Sector Forum meeting of 2024. Which took place at Caius House in one of the well-equipped modern meeting rooms, where we had presentations and updates shared. Thank you to everyone who joined us.

Abi Carter our Voluntary Sector Representative on the Health and Wellbeing Board shared an enlightening presentation on the role of the Board and how the voluntary sector voice can influence decisions and plans relating to Health and Care.

241202 Wandsworth HWB overview for WVSF (4.12.24)Download

We had updates from Children and Young People’s Alliance, Older People’s Alliance and Mentoring Opportunities for Developing Organisations, which was given by Wandsworth Care Alliance’s Development Manager, Ravi Vyas.
Give us feedback on how they receive funding information from us via this survey.

  • E-mail (ravi@wandcareall.org.uk) if you’d like to join the Children / Young People and/or Older People’s Alliance.
  • E-mail (ravi@wandcareall.org.uk) if you need any support with setting up your organisation, with funding help (finding and writing), networking opportunities, and capacity building.
  • E-mail (alice@wandcareall.org.uk) if you need any support with social media, marketing, and branding and fundraising. For more information on these mentorship programmes for branding click here and for fundraising support sessions click here.

Wandsworth Borough of Culture updates on the next steps for the voluntary sector, were given by Arts and Culture Officer, Chief Executive’s Group Wandsworth Council, Roisin Kerslake-Sim.

Voluntary Sector LBOC slides – 27.11.2024Download

Doing Good In Wandsworth is WCA’s new newsletter for matching voluntary organisations to sponsorships and resources from local businesses updates were given by Wandsworth Care Alliance’s, Volunteering Project Officer, Jummy Olaleye.

The Doing Good In Wandsworth newsletter aims to promote and make aware the work, initiatives and needs of local charities to local businesses and corporations in the borough and even outside of the borough. With this newsletter we want to see charities get the support they need and highlight the support of local businesses and corporates to the community.

Take a look at our first newsletter – Doing Good In Wandsworth

Sign up to our Doing Good In Wandsworth newsletter here.

Updates were followed with some presentations from Wandsworth Council on Wandsworth Council’s Winter Plan, which was given to us by Hollie Stone and Melissa Barker, Public Health Lead, Health Protection Team.

Wandsworth Winter Health 2024 – Slides and Information PackDownload
  1. A link to a Microsoft Form which VCS can complete to request printed copies of cold weather and vaccination posters – https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=rPXT2QP4vkmUnxSnB010p20x_vJLX0ROppFyT52VYTtUQTlMM085MDNRNFY4S0c4UjRHSzlHQUNLMi4u
  2. Please get in contact with healthprotection@richmondandwandsworth.gov.uk if your organisations is having any events before the end of January where you would like the roving team to attend to deliver winter vaccinations and/or information sessions. 

Paradise Cooperative, Eve Rogers shared a good news story on how they evolved their corporate volunteering offer as an alternative (and lucrative) model to generate income for their organisation – this clearly inspired other organisations present to think how they might do something similar.

VSF Paradise PhotosDownload

After an insightful sharing of updates and presentations from our speakers, the floor was open to the room to share updates, achievements, concerns or potential joint actions in the borough.

We had organisations in attendance such as:
Wandsworth Older Peoples Forum
WCEN
Happy Homes
The Heart and Lung Choir
Power2Connect
Generate
Wandsworth Council

For updates on when our next one will be please visit our eventbrite page here.

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