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2013 GSK IMPACT Award winners

  • 4 March 2014

Find out more about each of the winning organisations through the below links to short films about the organisations.

East Lancashire Women's Centres were crowned as this year's overall winner. Winning organisations received a £30,000 donation, plus a place on the GSK IMPACT Awards Development Network training course.

East Lancashire Women’s Centres

Based in an area of the UK that has higher than average levels of deprivation, East Lancashire Women’s Centres (ELWC) aims to be there for the women of their community whatever their needs.

Originally set up to increase access to health care, the centres provide a wide range of services designed to support, encourage and enable women and provide them with emotional and practical help. Counselling, training and personal development are high on the agenda; tackling depression, increasing skills and confidence, and offering support and guidance to women who are struggling with work and career issues.

What the judges said

'ELWC has been extremely thoughtful in its service design, looking at the reasons behind health needs to best support the community it serves. This impressively integrated approach and its work to engage service users marked ELWC as a clear award winner.'

Care Network Cambridgeshire

Care Network Cambridgeshire (CNC) helps older people stay independent for as long as possible, encouraging them to maintain good social contacts with a network of 100 community volunteer groups. ‘Help at Home’ is a shining example of one of its services.

CNC volunteers provide short-term practical and emotional support to people discharged from hospital, and can enable them to remain at home when they are at risk of a hospital admission. CNC also works with a network of local GP practices to provide information and advice, enabling GPs to refer their older patients to a range of relevant services.

What the judges said

'Providing effective support to older people can enable them to retain their independence, reduce hospital admissions and ultimately save NHS resources. CNC provides an impressive range of locally inspired activities in rural settings. It is responding to the community’s needs intelligently and is well placed to continue its support.'

FASA

Northern Ireland has the highest suicide rate in the UK. For those in crisis FASA’s ‘Safety Net’ programme is a lifeline. Developed in partnership with 40 community-based organisations, it uses trained volunteers to give immediate help until the right support can be identified and put into action.

FASA provides a range of counselling services, support groups and complementary therapies and, thanks to its ‘no wrong door’ policy, no one is turned away.

Working with all groups of the community, FASA also helps children and younger people make informed choices about alcohol. While ‘Street Safe’ works with underage drinkers, its ‘One Stop Shop’ provides advice on drugs and alcohol, as well as helping young people deal with underlying issues such as bullying, family breakdown and unemployment.

What the judges said

'Starting out as a small, local community-based initiative, FASA has grown and developed an integrated community service model. It has a growing reach and range of services that are achieving positive outcomes.'

The Greater Easterhouse Alcohol Awareness Project

The Greater Easterhouse Alcohol Awareness Project (GEAAP) helps people across East Glasgow who are addicted to alcohol, or concerned about their alcohol use, by providing one-to-one counselling, support and information. Informing and equipping young people to make informed choices about alcohol is also a vital part of GEAAP’s work.

Its ‘Young Booze Buster’ programme provides fun and interactive alcohol awareness sessions in primary schools. It also has a dedicated Young Booze Buster website where cyber counsellor, ‘Becky Boozebuster’, answers the young people’s email questions or conducts live chat via Facebook. Young Booze Busters is unique in the Greater Glasgow area and has proven to be a popular and effective education tool, so much so that GEAAP has been asked to roll-out the programme across the city.

What the judges said

'GEAAP is a respected grass roots organisation with strong community focus and clear service user involvement. It has an innovative approach to a health need which is particularly hard to address.'

Huntington’s Disease Association

Based in Liverpool, the Huntington’s Disease Association (HDA) is a national organisation offering help, support and advice to those affected by the disease, including children and young people growing up with Huntington’s Disease in their family.

Huntington’s Disease is a hereditary disorder of the central nervous system. Its effect on families can be devastating and cuts across generations. The Huntington’s Disease Association's network of Regional Care Advisors (RCAs) are all qualified health or social care professionals, and are dedicated to helping people manage their symptoms positively. They are the main point of contact for families, providing a 24-hour telephone service, visiting them in their homes and accompanying them to clinic appointments.

What the judges said

'HDA’s innovative approach has made it a centre of excellence and an example for other charitable organisations. It is very strong, well organised and is extremely well connected with its potential client group and those who need to be influenced nationally and locally.'

MAC-UK

MAC-UK engages with some of the UK’s most excluded and deprived young people who are most in need of support, but least likely to access it.

Its Integrate© model sees young people design and lead their own projects while a trained MAC-UK mental health worker works with them at their pace, in their territory, on their terms. The MAC-UK model was recently cited as an example of best practice in a 2011 Home Office report, Ending Gang and Youth Violence, with its focus on improving mental health to reduce re-offending rates, and was cited in the Department of Health report Protecting People, Promoting Health, October 2012.

What the judges said

'Engaging this audience on the issue of mental health is a challenge, and MAC-UK is taking a genuinely innovative approach. The organisation has done well to establish itself in five years and has gained a high profile as well as being ready to roll out learning to other parts of London.'

No Limits

No Limits is based in Southampton, an area with higher than average rates for teenage pregnancy and hospital admittance for underage drinkers.

No Limits provides an open entry point for young people with three drop-in centres across the city, giving help, advice and counselling in a safe and friendly environment. It gets young people involved in the development of services and many have gone on to volunteer or work for the charity. No Limits uses its volunteers in very imaginative ways, for example, its ‘Bright Beginnings’ programme recruits older mums to mentor teenage parents.

What the judges said

'No Limits is creative in the way it addresses young people’s needs. It is able to target general issues such as sexual health and alcohol use as well as provide focused support for the most vulnerable. It has a good reach within its community and is achieving good results through its strong partnerships.'

SIFA Fireside

SIFA Fireside (SF) has created an impressive number of services to engage with the very hard to reach group of people living within its Birmingham community.

Its ‘Daily Drop-in’ is at the heart of its service, providing homeless people with everything from breakfast and a shower to opticians and chiropody services. They can also see a nurse or talk to a member of the SF mental health team.

SF provides an outreach service at four of Birmingham’s hospitals and its ‘Expert Patient Programme’ uses trained service users to engage with those living in hostels. SF has been able to demonstrate that for every service user supported, a saving of almost £8,000 is made in benefits, health care and the criminal justice system.

What the judges said

'SIFA Fireside has developed effective partnerships to integrate with local services. The hospital outreach service, with its one-stop approach, is extremely responsive and tailored to the user group’s needs. This is a good example of a strong organisation delivering good results within the target group.'

Yorkshire MESMAC

Yorkshire MESMAC’s rapid HIV testing service costs just £47 per person, giving an immediate indicator of HIV status and the opportunity to promote good sexual health one-on-one.

Its ‘BLAST!’ project works with young men and boys involved in, or at risk of becoming involved in, sexual exploitation and is the only project of its type in Yorkshire for this gender. MESMAC also provides counselling and a range of support groups and works with the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities to tackle the underlying causes of physical and mental ill health.

What the judges said

'MESMAC has a long history of supporting disadvantaged communities in relation to their sexual health and HIV status. It is an impressive organisation with demonstrable achievements. MESMAC is responding to a changing demographic, continuing to target its services and ensuring equal access.'

Runners up

The following organisations received a £3,000 donation.

GSK IMPACT Award winners and their videos

GSK IMPACT Awards

Read more about the awards, how to apply and previous winners.

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