By Help the Hospices grants team
Stage one will be undertaken by officers working at Help the Hospices who will check that the application meets the basic eligibility criteria. If further information is required at this stage, a member of the grants team will be in contact to request it.
By a panel of expert advisors
During the second stage all applications will be considered by a panel of experts who will provide a list of recommended applications to fund, to the Department of Health who will make the final decision on which grants to award.
Please note that if we receive more applications than the amount of funding available, then the panel may choose to recommend funding a project in full or in part. If an application is funded in part, you will be asked to demonstrate that you will be able to scale the project back to within the funded amount or raise the capital funds needed to complete the project within the time frame of the programme.
Multi-million pound applications are unlikely to succeed.
In addition your application’s success can not be guaranteed and the Department of Health’s decision is final.
Criteria
Applications will be assessed and ranked against the following criteria:
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the direct benefits that will accrue to patients, carers and families
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extent to which the project demonstrates tangible, physical improvements to the environment
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extent to which the project will deliver measurable improvements against the Quality Innovation, Productivity and Prevention (QIPP) framework
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the extent to which the need for the project is demonstrated
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the viability of the project, including the likelihood of it being completed by the end of March 2011.
The value for money of the planned work will also be taken into account.
It is important that you address each point in your application. These are not listed in order of importance.
In considering the overall strength of your application, the panel of expert advisors will particularly look at:
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how your project will make a difference to the lives of all patients, their families and their carers, eg the types of services or facilities you will offer and how closely your project meets the criteria
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why you think it will succeed in doing this, eg the strengths of the project, assurance of further funding and plans to actively involve users and staff in all stages of the project.
We have identified ten potential core outcomes of the overall Department of Health capital grant programme which closely reflect two central elements set out in the end of life care strategy for England.
Applications should indicate how the proposed work will achieve some of these core outcomes.
High quality care and support during the last days of your life
This element of the end of life care strategy incorporates the following outcomes:
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Improving quality of life
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Promoting dignity
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Enabling improved privacy
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Encouraging independence
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Increasing the therapeutic value of garden areas
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Enabling hospices to be more responsive to the needs of all people using hospice care.
Quality assured and delivered to a high standard
This element of the end of life care strategy incorporates the following outcomes:
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Enhancing the physical environment to allow better nutrition
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Supporting cultural diversity
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Improving the hospices ability to meet multiple complex needs
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Enabling people to be cared for at the end of life in a comfortable and safe environment of their choosing.
The Department of Health has made clear the importance of Quality as the key driver for health service delivery and the need to focus on Innovation, Productivity and Prevention (QIPP) to support this.
The QIPP approach is now being put at the centre of NHS and social care activity and applications should therefore indicate how the proposed work will deliver measurable improvements against the QIPP framework, drawing on the ten potential key outcomes set out above.
There are also tools available to support project design and consequently monitor progress and evaluate success. These include the Department of Health's Achieving Excellence Design Evaluation Toolkit (AEDET evolution) and A Staff and Patient Environment Calibration Tool (ASPECT) which are available on the Department of Health website.
You will be expected to provide evidence that such tools/approaches will be used for your project.
Next steps
It is a good idea to refer to the assessment criteria and core outcomes of the programme when completing your application for a grant as this will strengthen your application. Apply for a Department of Health capital grants online.
