£1 million to help you live a far healthier life

10:10am Thursday 10th July 2008

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A HEALTH fund set up to tackle obesity, smoking and teenage pregnancy in Worcestershire was being launched today.

The £1 million programme was due to be unveiled by the Worcestershire Partnership at the Bank House Hotel, Bransford, near Worcester.

The fund has been created to help meet tough new targets negotiated between the Government and the Worcestershire Partner-ship. The aim of the programme is to reduce health inequalities by improving the standard of living in deprived places such as the Worcester areas of Warndon, Tolladine, Rainbow Hill, Dines Green and Ronkswood.

Dr Richard Harling, Worcestershire Primary Care Trust’s (PCT) director of public health, said: “We are particularly interested in receiving applications for projects that will target those areas of the county where health is poorest. This funding will help some of the most vulnerable people in Worcestershire.”

We have reported in your Worcester News how imp-roving health in ‘hot spot’ areas is one of the top priorities for Worcestershire PCT, which has brought in health trainers to offer support and advice.

Other deprived areas include Pickersleigh in Malvern and Westlands, Droitwich.

The partnership is between Worcestershire PCT, Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust and Worc-estershire County Council, who have all contributed money to the new fund.

The targets are to increase adult participation in sport, reduce the number of people admitted to hospital because of injuries caused by alcohol and cut obesity among primary school children. They also aim to increase the opportunities for young people to take part in ‘positive activities’, reduce the number of girls under the age of 18 becoming pregnant, reduce the number of deaths from circulatory diseases among under-75s and slash the number of people who smoke.

Up to £75,000 will be available to individual organisations for projects that help to deliver the targets, which are set out in Worcestershire’s Local Area Agreement (LAA).

The LAA is an agreement between the Government and the Worcestershire Partner-ship that lasts from 2008 to 2011. Its aim is to target resources on issues that are a priority at a local and national level.