Assessment criteria and process

All applications are assessed against set criteria which includes evidence that the proposed activities will:

• offer clear opportunities for the lead applicant to develop or enhance their nurse leadership abilities

• address a locally identified need which is currently unmet

• address the challenge of making hospice and end of life services equitable to all

• demonstrate a degree of user involvement

• result in knowledge that can be learned from and shared with others.

In addition value for money and feasibility of the application will be taken into account.

It is important that you address each point in your application. These are not listed in order of importance.

It is likely that we will receive more applications than the amount of funding available so your application’s success can not be guaranteed and the committee’s decision is final.

What happens if successful?

Initially

If your application for a grant is successful then we will send an award letter, together with an acceptance form, to the application sponsor, usually the chief executive, clinical director or equivalent of the hospice.

The acceptance form must be signed by the application sponsor, as well as the applicant, agreeing to the conditions of the grant. We will ask you to confirm the date the project will start and when you expect to complete it.

The project should start within three months and finish within twelve months of the date that the grant was awarded. We reserve the right to withdraw funding after twelve months if it is not claimed, so it is important that you keep us up to date with progress.

Payments will be made on submission of a grant claim form, together with evidence of expenditure such as copies of paid receipts and invoices in relation to the grant.
 

Through the life of your grant

We are keen to see our grants making a real difference to successful applicants, as well as the work they are undertaking to make hospice and end of life care more accessible to all.

We are also interested in increasing and sharing learning from the projects that are funded through this programme.

If successful the lead applicant will be expected to participate and contribute to this.

Activities will include:

• Submission of a short written progress report three months after your grant was awarded.

• Attendance at one project lead day, seven or eight months after the grant is awarded. This is to share learning, network and to discuss any challenges or issues that may have arisen with the implementation of your work.

• Site visits by staff from Help the Hospices to monitor progress and provide any support required.

• Ongoing communication with Help the Hospices to ensure that your project goes as smoothly as possible and to help solve any issues as they arise.

• The sharing of ideas and knowledge and peer support through a variety of media, which could include a dedicated forum on our website.

In addition there will be an overall programme level evaluation. We will commission an external organisation to undertake the evaluation who will contact you at various times for information.

Once your project is complete

We will ask you to send us a final report at the end of the grant funded period of your project, which will ask for further information about what you have achieved and what wider differences the work has made to you and your hospice.