Kingston Council and the NHS have today (April 5) announced a new pooled fund which will be used to invest into programmes to help support families across the borough and improve residents health.

Created by Kingston's local NHS branch and local authority, a total of £4.3 million will be invested into the four-year project.

The fund will be invested in increasing prevention programmes such as stop smoking services, encouraging behaviour change around alcohol consumption and healthy eating, working with community and voluntary organisations, and supporting the implementation of community and family hubs.

Additional investment in prevention and early intervention is hoped to ensure babies and young children in the borough get a good start in life and family support is improved for those in need.

Investment will also be focused on programmes helping to enable people to be a healthy weight and reduce the numbers who go on to develop heart disease, suffer strokes or a heart attack, or who develop cancer. 

Portfolio Holder for Adult Social Care and Health, Cllr Sabah Hamed, said: "This is a rare opportunity to be able to fund a wider range of programmes that will deliver real change for communities and families across our borough.

"The programmes we will support will help reduce health inequalities and improve health and wellbeing. Over time this will reduce demand and pressures on over-stretched services, particularly in children's and adults' social care, and for our NHS."

Kingston Council has stated funding for the joint project has come from remaining Covid funding and existing public health funding alongside a £1 million contribution from NHS Kingston Place.