Over the last three years, North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare NHS Trust has committed to working with the voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) sector across Stoke-on-Trent and North Staffordshire in new and collaborative ways through the community mental health transformation programme. This is a place-based community mental health model which looks at how community services should modernise to offer whole-person, whole-population health approaches, aligned with guidance from NHS England and the NHS Long Term Plan. One of the most impactful examples of this community mental health transformation is the grant programme, which has demonstrated what’s possible when supporting individuals with mental illness happens directly within their communities and close to home.
Across multiple grant rounds, facilitated by The Community Foundation for Staffordshire, the trust has awarded over £500,000 in funding to VCSE organisations. The trust has supported and worked alongside groups who are dedicated to creatively meeting the needs of local people. Through these collaborations, there has been an incredible variety of innovative delivery approaches which have made tangible differences to the lives of real people.
The programme featured five rounds of the grant programme with various recipients across the VCSE sector. In total, the programme has supported approximately 1250 young people and adults to date. As part of this summary, you can read a collection of case studies from real participants of the programmes and the impact it has had on their lives.
Grant round one
The first round of the programme launched in July 2022 with system-wide focus on under-represented groups, identified as a result of a detailed local data analysis.
These groups included:
- young adults aged 18-25, men over 40 years old, and adults over 65 years old
- Muslim and Eastern European communities, inclusive of individuals/families seeking asylum
- members of the LGBTQ+ community
- people with co-occurring needs and substance use
- people with disabilities
- members of the travelling community
- veterans
Five projects were funded for this round, out of a potential 34 applications. These included Walk Ministries, supporting those who have just left prison, Stoke-on-Trent and North Staffordshire Theatre Trust, specifically the New Vic Theatre with the Next Chapter project, the Veteran Support Network, the Restoration Shack and The Clay Foundation with the ReCast project.
Throughout these projects, people from the above under-represented groups experienced visible improvements in their lives through working with the organisations.
Round one: case study
Round one grant recipient case study example: Veteran Support Network (VSN)
The Veteran Support Network, a local veteran-run CIC organisation based in North Staffordshire, were awarded with funding as part of the first grant round.
Project proposal: “The grant will provide equipment such as easels, different paint mediums such as watercolour and acrylic, brushes, canvases and funding for experts to tutor the veterans on styles, technique and bring out the painters amongst us.”
Again, the combination of art and practical support made a huge difference in the lives of those who accessed the network. You can read feedback from a service user below:
“VSN saved my life. Lee and his team helped my family through a very dark time and after an attempt on my own life, helped us to focus on coping strategies and helped my wife and kids understand my struggle.
“VSN gave me something to look forward to every week and I even volunteered with some DIY. If Lee hadn’t of brought the military mindset with him to help manage my troubles, I wouldn’t be here today. The VSN helped us sort a flat, organise my benefits including a war pension and PIP, with forms and assessments.
“Veterans need veterans because we understand each other and we trust our own. We aren’t supported anywhere near enough as we should be.”
Grant round two
The second round of the community mental health transformation programme launched in January 2023 with a focus on young adults. All applications had to demonstrate that they were working to support people with severe mental illnesses (SMI) and needed to demonstrate a co-produced and innovative project idea.
A total of four applications were awarded, with one application receiving an additional grant to continue their work.
Round two: case study
Round two grant recipient case study example: Port Vale FC Foundation – Every Girl Does Count
Project proposal: “The grant seeks to provide access to mental health support for young women and girls in Stoke-on-Trent. It will provide three areas of support and services for people aged 16-24, covering digital services, in-house support and awareness campaigns.”
Participants of the programme commented positively about the impact:
“I feel proud through the work I have done with Port Vale over the 12 weeks. I have been excited for each Thursday morning knowing we have a session, and I think the sessions will have a lasting impact on me for my confidence and my mental wellbeing.”
“I would really like to do the programme again if I had the opportunity and would recommend to other girls like me to do the programme.”
Staff from the Port Vale FC Foundation also commented positively about the visible differences in attendees:
“When I first met Charlie, she was extremely nervous and relied heavily on her support worker for comfort. Now, things couldn’t be more different. Charlie arrives at sessions with a smile, asks how I am and how my day has been, and actively engages in conversations with the other girls in the group.”
“We’ve seen a significant improvement in her confidence and communication skills. Charlie has also expressed an interest in continuing her journey with Port Vale Foundation, she’s keen to volunteer at Port Vale Foundation and has shown a strong desire to be involved in leading our Female Youth Voice group.”
The successful implementation of the Every Girl Does Count programme has brought about positive changes both for the participants and the wider community due to the grant programme.
Grant round three
The third grant round was focused specifically on supporting secondary care mental health service users who are digitally excluded and was launched in August 2023.
All applications had to demonstrate that they were working to support people with severe mental illnesses (SMI) and needed to demonstrate a co-produced and innovative project idea. Two applications were awarded, Raparu Consultant CIC and Asha North Staffordshire.
Round three case study
Round three grant recipient case study example: Asha North Staffordshire
Project proposal: “This project will support people to engage with online digital platforms which will not only allow them to access digital health platforms but also help them secure employment.”
Asha received positive feedback and conducted assessments with people involved in the project who reported that the project had met their expectations and allowed them to develop digital skills to manage their wellbeing. Participants were encouraged to sign up to PatientAide, an application that allows patients to view parts of the clinical record from Combined Healthcare, and to access the Combined Wellbeing Portal for self-help mental health resources and advice.
Grant round four
The fourth round of the grants was delayed but the trust was keen to support groups with projects already supported in previous round to help them continue their work. As a result, the ‘Every Girl Does Count’ programme from the Port Vale FC Foundation received further funding, as well as the Next Chapter project at the New Vic Theatre.
Grant round five
The fifth and final grant round launched in May 2025 with an aim to provide accessible mental health and wellbeing support in local communities, delivered in a safe, youth friendly environment, with a primary focus on early intervention and prevention of mental health difficulties. Out of 29 total applications, 15 projects were awarded funding covering a diverse range of organisations and activities across North Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent, ranging from creative arts, boxing, and specialist bereavement support.
Each of the projects are in different stages of delivery with final impact and evaluation reports awaited. The grants have acted as an important catalyst to conversation across health, local authority and voluntary sector partners around how we can work more collaboratively to support each other in meeting the emotional health and wellbeing needs of children and young people at the earliest stage.
The programmes are focused on early intervention and prevention and will offer mental health and wellbeing support in addition to their regular activities. They are also suitable for young people who are waiting for intervention or being discharged from care.
Once the programmes are up and running, clinicians and teams at Combined can signpost any young people that they work with to the specific grant recipient that is most relevant for the individual’s growth and recovery.
The grant rounds as part of the community mental health transformation programme have allowed Combined Healthcare, supported by the Community Foundation for Staffordshire, to award local charities with funding to make a real difference in the lives of local people.
Liz Mellor, Chief Strategy Officer, has been the executive lead for the programme at Combined Healthcare and has been pleased to see the real-life impacts of each of the grant rounds:
“Collaboration and partnership working are at the heart of our trust strategy. Working with the voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) sector, we’ve been pioneering new approaches that bring mental health support closer to home and set the standard for integrated community care.
“This grant approach has been a valuable learning opportunity for the trust, and it’s been fantastic to support and discover innovative ways of meeting the needs of our local communities.”
Combined Healthcare aims to provide service users with high-quality mental health support but also recognises the benefit of supporting local VCSE organisations to provide intervention at secondary care level, which has been possible through this grant programme.
It has been encouraging to see the sheer number of people who have been positively impacted by the various projects, and the results of this programme will be seen in the lives of local people and in the organisations that the grants have supported in the years to come.
Photos from a range of the grant round recipients can be seen below.
For more information about the Community Foundation for Staffordshire, visit the website.
