Money allocated to help people’s health
More than £400,000 is to be spent improving people’s health in Newcastle.
The money will be used by Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council to tackle situations where there are ‘health inequalities’.
Examples include helping people whose health is affected by damp and mould at home, tackling infestations in accommodation, or targeted exercise for those recovering from illness.
Gill Heesom, Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council's Cabinet member for Community Safety and Wellbeing, said:
Good quality housing is particularly important in ensuring good health and its absence can be a key factor in the generation of health inequalities.
This funding is a huge opportunity for the borough council to address health inequalities and expand our existing health and wellbeing programmes.”
The Borough Council has successfully bid to Staffordshire County Council for £410,000 remaining from Covid Outbreak Management Funding.
Expenditure is earmarked for 10 wards where health equality is noticeable: Bradwell, Cross Heath, Kidsgrove & Ravenscliffe, Town, Holditch & Chesterton, May Bank, Clayton, Crackley & Red Street, Silverdale and Wolstanton.
The funding is split into three areas, with a health and care hardship fund that can be accessed by local organisations to resolve such issues as flea infestations in properties causing delays to hospital discharges, or homeless people needing to self-isolate to prevent spreading infectious diseases.
Other money will strengthen existing health and wellbeing programmes, including health referrals for the borough council’s highly successful wellness suite, which provides targeted exercise classes for people either maintaining their physical fitness or recovering from an illness.
And some has been set aside for targeted intervention on housing issues such as resolving damp and mould in homes by investigating and then supporting enforcement activity or funding home improvements.
The money is to be spent in this calendar year, but the projects could be extended once demand has been assesses.
Cllr Heesom added:
We will use this money quickly to make a difference where it matters.
We will work with partners who make referrals and on our own initiative to target those most in need of help.”