Investing in communities

Locality Improvement Framework (LIF)

The ICB has developed the Locality Improvement Framework (LIF) to tackle health inequalities and prevention across Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent. Supported by an investment of £2.2million, the LIF has the following ambition, aim and approach: 

• Ambition: To work together with different people, families and communities across Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent to ensure everyone has the opportunity to have healthy, safe and prosperous lives with fair access, improved experience in better outcomes for all 
• Aim: To improve health outcomes across Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent through the prevention of ill health and by tackling health inequalities 
• Approach: Using a population health management approach, we will create the environment for measurable, systematic, at-scale change. 

Where will the money be invested?

Sitting within the ICB’s Improving Population Health (IPH) portfolio, the LIF will provide funding for the eight localities of Staffordshire and the four localities of Stoke-on-Trent. The funding will support the localities’ primary care networks (PCNs), voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) organisations, secondary care providers, community services, mental health services, fire services, police services and other relevant stakeholders. The aim is to enhance collaboration and improve outcomes by leveraging the strengths and resources of diverse partners within each locality. 

Funding has been made available through system allocations, targeted towards the most challenged areas. It is intended to help systems, when they are seeking cost savings or efficiencies, not to undermine the implementation of the Core20PLUS5 approach or an inclusive elective recovery.

The funding has been distributed in line with the Health Inequalities and Unmet Need Adjustment that is already a part of the target model, which is based on an age-standardised measure of deaths that are avoidable or amenable to healthcare. Funding allocations per locality are up to £100,000 in Staffordshire, and up to £125,000 in Stoke-on-Trent. 

You can read about projects which have received LIF funding by clicking on the localities below:

Tamworth Wellbeing Project 

Tamworth has some of the most deprived areas in Staffordshire. The town is ranked 12^th highest in England for self-recorded adult obesity and long-term conditions associated with obesity – hypertension (high blood pressure), diabetes and mental health problems. Diabetes and heart disease were the two most common causes of hospital admissions. 

The new Wellbeing Project will support residents in Glascote, Stonydelph and Belgrave, and aims to support them to live a sustainable approach to lifestyle change to improve their physical and mental wellbeing. It aims to tackle health inequalities by supporting people with long-term conditions and their families / households to actively engage in ways that can improve their health by: 

• monitoring health, including BP checks, cholesterol checks and general health checks 

• education, including learning about diet, healthy eating and lifestyle changes to achieve greater ‘wellness’ 

• activities focused on lifestyle change, including social interaction, healthy eating and physical activity. 

The programme will work with early years settings and primary schools to address the issue of obesity in children and promote healthy choices and healthy eating. 

The project is being delivered by Support Staffordshire. 

South Staffordshire Living Well Longer & Ageing Well Programme 

Ageing Well has been identified as a key priority for South Staffordshire, with the following issues identified in the district: 

• loneliness and isolation 

• higher levels of falls and hip fractures 

• lack of awareness of what’s available in local communities 

• opportunities for prevention through strength/balance 

• hidden need – people don’t report or recognise frailty until crisis. 

The Living Well Longer and Ageing Well programme will help to identify barriers to helping people living well longer. Partners will signpost people with potential or existing long-term conditions and an increased risk of falls to services. The programme will also support the development of links between the Staying Well Service and the Falls Team. 

The programme will be delivered by South Staffordshire District Council. 

Staffordshire Moorlands Wellbeing Programme 

Staffordshire Moorlands faces a growing challenge to improve the mental health of residents, with a rate is 75.4 per cent higher for the most deprived group, relative to the overall rate in the area (Graphnet OHC Data, January 2025). 

The Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent LIF will fund a new programme of mental health support for residents, which will: 

• support early intervention and reduced pressure on GP appointments 

• improve mental health and self-management among adults with low-level anxiety 

• increase use of local facilities, such as leisure centres, and non-clinical support services 

• strengthen partnerships between health and care providers and community services. 

The programme will focus on people experiencing low-level, newly diagnosed anxiety, who do not normally meet the threshold for referral. The programme will provide a structured and practical approach that supports patients before their needs escalate. 

Focusing on Cheadle in the first year of the three-year programme, the programme will support people with mental health conditions following GP diagnosis and referral through social prescribers. It will be supported by a health and wellbeing coordinator who will arrange a programme of initiatives designed to improve emotional resilience, reduce anxiety and provide services for longer-term support, using physical activity and exercise as a tool for mental wellbeing. 

The project is being delivered by Staffordshire Moorlands District Council. 

Proposals for funding

The ICB is currently considering proposals for other localities in Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent.

Keep checking this page for further updates.

Additional Investment Projects

VCSE Alliance

An additional £400,000 is being invested to support the VCSE Alliance’s role as the bridge between organisations.

Family Matters

An investment of £500,000 has supported the Family Matters programme across the four localities in Stoke-on-Trent.

Warmer Homes

The ICB has also invested £600,000 in the Warmer Homes project during the 2024/25 financial year.