Apnee Sehat awarded £38,000

Apnee Sehat, a trailblazing scheme set up to tackle health inequalities in the South Asian population in South Warwickshire, today discovered that it will benefit from £38,500. The scheme, supported by the University of Warwick and South Warwickshire PCT, is one of only 26 social enterprise projects from across England to receive a share of £1.4 million of Department of Health (DH) funding, announced by Care Services Minister, Ivan Lewis.

The funding will help Apnee Sehat lead the way in delivering a broad-ranging campaign of imaginative patient education initiatives and events designed around the specific needs and cultural preferences of Asian families. And the lessons from the initiative will be shared across the health and social care sector so that others can benefit from their experience.

An example of a well known social enterprise scheme is The Big Issue, providing opportunities for people facing homelessness to help themselves. Likewise, the DH social enterprise trailblazers will provide an innovative range of health and social services, from tele-health services for rural to a hub for integrated children’s services. Welcoming the pathfinders’ start up funding, Ivan Lewis said: "I am delighted that Apnee Sehat is being supported with this funding.

This national programme will support the delivery of innovative services and, in line with our White Paper commitments, will help put people and patients at the heart of what we do. "What we learn from this initiative will provide learning opportunities for health and social care professionals in general, and simultaneously create greater choice for patients through a wider selection of convenient, innovative and responsive services"

Researchers and students from the University of Warwick’s Warwick Medical School have been involved in developing the project.

Warwick Medical School Dean Professor Yvonne Carter said:

“Warwick Medical School is delighted to have been able to help support this new initiative. This project should produce significant improvements in health care for the South Asian population. Pathfinder status will allow Apnee Sehat to consider replicating its work across the UK and improve the lives of South Asian patients with diabetes.”

Jonathan Bland, Chief Executive of the Social Enterprise Coalition, said:

"At the Social Enterprise Coalition we welcome the news of financialinvestment in Apnee Sehat and other pathfinders, as it is vital that social enterprises get the capital needed to operate as sustainable businesses offering practical solutions to the issues faced by the health sector. "This funding is a strong signal of the government’s commitmentto encourage the public sector to tap into the vast potential of thesocial enterprise model; which promotes innovation and leads toimprovements directly benefiting staff, patients and social care users. "I believe it’s the ability of social enterprises to combine a publicservice ethos with commercial efficiency that sets them apart - andthat’s precisely why health commissioners are taking notice"