Big kick off for community health project with Chelsea Foundation
Big kick off for community health project with Chelsea Foundation
28 September 2021
Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust and the Premier League team’s charitable arm, the Chelsea Foundation, will work together to tackle deep-rooted health problems in north west London.
Our grant will fund a one-year joint post between the Trust and the Foundation, responsible for developing new health and wellbeing initiatives for the benefit of patients, NHS staff and our wider communities.
“Through this exciting new project, we hope to strengthen the link between sport, health and wellbeing.”
Ian Lush, Chief Executive of Imperial Health Charity
Ian Lush, Chief Executive of Imperial Health Charity, said: “Sport crosses cultural boundaries and brings people closer together. Through this exciting new project, we hope to strengthen the link between sport, health and wellbeing, and drive forward a series of initiatives that will tackle complex and deep-rooted health problems in north west London.
“By reaching out beyond our hospitals to work in partnership with Imperial College Healthcare and the Chelsea Foundation, we will be able to have an even greater impact on reducing health inequalities.”
As part of this new partnership, the Trust and Foundation will collaborate on community projects that aim to reduce health inequalities, improve access to healthcare for marginalised and often-excluded groups and strengthen links between sport and the NHS.
“The Covid-19 pandemic has shown us the devastating effect of health inequalities in the community.”
Dr Bob Klaber, Director of Strategy, Research and Innovation
Dr Bob Klaber, the Trust’s director of strategy, research and innovation, said the partnership would enable the two organisations to design and deliver community projects with the greatest possible impact.
“The Covid-19 pandemic has shown us the devastating effect of health inequalities in the community,” he said. “As a trust serving some of the poorest communities in London, we understand the role we have to play in addressing some of the most pressing issues that affect people’s health outside of our hospitals.
“By working closely with the Chelsea Foundation, we will leverage the natural relationship between sports and healthcare - and our combined connections into the community - to design and deliver projects with the greatest impact.”
Simon Taylor, Head of the Chelsea Foundation, said: “This exciting project will see both organisations working together to engage communities in innovative and ground-breaking programmes.
"Sport and in particularly football has a unique ability to engage people in a range of health and educational programmes and we are looking forward to working with one of the leading NHS trusts in the country to develop initiatives to increase health and wellbeing in our communities."
