More than €70m PEACEPLUS funding awarded to improve health of thousands of people living across Northern Ireland and the border counties of Ireland

In all, eight projects will be delivered as a result of the latest PEACEPLUS funding awards:

• Community Connection and Wellbeing Project – led by the Health Service Executive (HSE Ireland) with partners in both Northern Ireland and Ireland, the project will tackle the longstanding social and economic challenges that affect the mental health and wellbeing of communities along the border counties. Supporting 10,000 beneficiaries, the project will help build more resilience in the health systems, through supporting the longer-term transition from institutional to more community-based care.
• Changing Lives Initiative: Flourish & Thrive – a project which aims to develop a cross-border, community-led early intervention pathway to address neurodevelopmental conditions, in particular Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The project will be led by Clondalkin Behavioural Initiative - Archways, in partnership with the Colin Neighbourhood Partnership and Dundalk Institute of Technology.
• Early Intervention Support Youth Hubs – establishing new cross-border early intervention support services for families with children and young people aged 1-17 years old presenting with social, emotional or behavioural issues consistent with a neurodevelopmental type presentation; or who have been recently diagnosed with a neurodevelopmental condition such as ADHD, ASD, behaviour and/or early mental health presentations. The project is led by HSE Ireland and partners and will support 9,000 beneficiaries over the project lifetime.
• Early Frailty Intervention Project (EFIP) – EFIP will develop a cross-border community-based early frailty infrastructure comprising four cross-border localities between the border counties of Northern Ireland and Ireland. Led by HSE Ireland and partners, the project will provide support to older individuals who are experiencing/at risk of developing frailty along with preventative interventions. 8,800 individuals will be supported over the project lifetime. 
• Healthier Futures Project (HFP) – focusing on obesity management within cross-border communities, HFP will implement a cross-border community-based model made up of intervention prevention programmes for obesity and weight management programmes to help combat physical, functional and psychological complications of obesity. HFP will be led by HSE Ireland and partners.
• Innovation in person-centred Medication Prescribing and Review for Optimal Value and Efficacy (iMPROVE) – led by Ulster University and other partners, iMPROVE focusses on medicine management. Its aim is to implement care pathways to optimise the prescribing of medications, improve community accessibility needs and reduce the burden on primary care.
• PEACETIME – PEACETIME will see the development of a specialist obesity management service for adults with Type 2 diabetes in primary care and the community in the Northwest. Led by Ulster University and five partners, the project will give specialist obesity care to up 9,000 patients (beneficiaries) in Derry/Londonderry, Tyrone, Donegal, Sligo and Leitrim.
• Right Support Right Time – a project promoting positive mental wellbeing, increasing resilience, and preventing the deterioration of existing mental and emotional distress.  Right Support Right Time will be delivered by Inspire Wellbeing with eight partners and will result in a one jointly developed trauma-informed solution, delivered to 9,750 beneficiaries.

PEACEPLUS is managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB) and represents a funding partnership between the European Union, the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the Government of Ireland, and the Northern Ireland Executive.

Northern Ireland Health Minister Mike Nesbitt said: “I’m delighted by today’s announcement of the award of PEACEPLUS funding to help tackle health inequalities in the border counties of Northern Ireland and Ireland.  Since taking up office, I have been very clear that my focus is on achieving better outcomes for patients and service users.  An important way to do that is by addressing inequalities so that we can avoid the poor health outcomes that are so often associated with social deprivation. 

“At a time when we continue to face significant funding pressures, this investment therefore represents a wonderful opportunity for those involved in the delivery of health and social care services in the border counties.  It also ensures a wide range of statutory, community and voluntary partners are able to continue building on the excellent cross-border collaborative working established during the PEACEPLUS Programme’s predecessor initiatives. 

“I wish every success to all those cross-border partnerships which have been awarded funding today, as they develop and deliver their initiatives.  I look forward to receiving updates as these projects progress.”

Ireland Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly said. “I am very pleased that more than €70m of funding has been awarded to eight health and social care projects under the PEACEPLUS Programme.

"These jointly developed and delivered health and social care projects will reach up to 80,000 beneficiaries across a range of areas, enabling them to access quality health and social care services in the most appropriate setting for their needs, improving the health and wellbeing of people living in Northern Ireland and the border counties of Ireland.

"The contribution that these projects will make towards tackling health inequalities is also particularly welcome.”

SEUPB Chief Executive Gina McIntyre said: “Cross-border collaboration is proven to deliver considerable benefits in terms of health and social care and bringing equality of access to essential services to local citizens. With demands on health and social care services so high, coupled with major issues in terms of resources, cross-border co-operation can alleviate those pressures by delivering economies of scale.

“A joined-up approach can deliver more efficient and effective resources, maximising the potential of technology to transform how healthcare is accessed and delivered.

“Learning from this theme will be incorporated within the Collaborative Health and Social Care Programme to ensure a more resilient regional health and social care sector, which contributes to improved population health and wellbeing.”