Prize winner announced | News and events

Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Integrated Care System (ICS) have announced Access Migrant Support as the winner of the inaugural Health Inequalities Challenge Prize 2022. Access Migrant Support, a local organisation that supports migrant communities, seasonal workers, and new arrivals from areas such as Ukraine and Afghanistan has been awarded a £10,000 investment to continue their fantastic work to tackle inequalities in digital access.

The Health Inequalities Challenge Prize is an initiative launched by the ICS with support from NHS Cambridgeshire & Peterborough, Healthwatch Cambridgeshire & Peterborough, and Cambridgeshire Community Foundation. A number of businesses and voluntary sector colleagues in the area have helped to support eight fantastic finalist teams as they worked on their projects over the last few months using £3,000 of initial investment, with Access Migrant Support announced as the winner of an additional £10,000 to use to progress their project at an award  ceremony on 9 November.

At the centre of Access Migrant Support’s winning project is a new library of resources in communities’ native languages, helping people from a range of backgrounds overcome barriers and adjust to life in England. The library was developed in collaboration with the local migrant communities, making sure that the resources created would meet the needs of the people it seeks to help.

People from migrant backgrounds can use the new tools to get a better understanding of the health and care services available to them in Cambridgeshire & Peterborough helping to ensure that all of our communities are seen at the right time by the right service. The tools will also be available to people Access Migrant Support works with across the wider East Anglia region.

The judges praised Access Migrant Support for using focus groups and other routes to get strong feedback from community members, as well as the scope for further growth and development of the team’s innovative ideas.

Dr Fiona Head, Chief Medical Officer at Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Integrated Care System, said:

“On behalf of the Integrated Care System I’d like to congratulate Access Migrant Support for their fantastic achievement.

“Through Access Migrant Support’s library of resources we’re able to help people from communities who have historically found it more difficult to find out information about local health and care services. This will help local people as they are better able to find the right service for their needs meaning that they can choose the best way to get their particular health need met.”

Sandie Smith, Chief Executive Officer of Healthwatch Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, said:

“We want to congratulate Access Migrant Support for winning the Health Inequalities Challenge Prize.

“It’s been fantastic to see local people involved in an array of truly exciting and innovative projects to help improve access to health and care for people who can often find it hard to use online services.

And we are pleased that the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Integrated Care System (ICS) are investing in supporting people to shape future services. We are excited to see how these projects continue to develop.”

Vivienne Atkinson, Grants & Operations Manager at Cambridgeshire Community Foundation, added:

“We are delighted that Cambridgeshire Community Foundation was able to play a part in the Health Inequalities Challenge Prize. As an organisation committed to addressing inequalities across the county, we aligned immediately with the desire to tackle health inequality caused by digital exclusion.

“This initiative has generated some innovative ideas that will have a big impact on the communities they serve, so we thank all the finalists for their creativity, passion, and commitment to finding solutions to the challenges we face. Congratulations to the winners, Access Migrant Support. We wish you all the best as you develop your project, and we look forward to continuing our partnership with the NHS to further support community-led initiatives.”

Photo shows representatives from the finalist projects in front of a Health Inequalities Challenge Prize banner