Creative Minds wins international community health challenge

The Trust’s linked charity Creative Minds has been announced as a winner in a Europe-wide ‘challenge’ focused on different ways to empower communities to improve their health.

Creative Minds is one of eight winners in the Reimagining Community Health Challenge, recognising the charity’s community focus, collaboration with health systems, innovation, impact and sustainability.

As a winner, Creative Minds will receive a minimum prize award of £45,000, and be invited to explore a partnership with the challenge’s sponsors, the Johnson & Johnson Foundation. Creative Minds will also be part of building a new network of community health innovators in Europe, and be offered workshops, peer advice, and support from experts and mentors.

Creative Minds is a charity hosted by South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust. It aims to co-create and co-fund creative activities in partnership with community organisations that help improve people’s health and wellbeing.

The judges of the challenge said: “This is an innovative and scalable initiative. It has a strong collaboration element stemming from its work with the NHS. Through your work, you shift the improvement of quality of life from pure medical care to social and creative life, filling the gap of supporting the transition to wellbeing.”

Phil Walters, Creative Minds’ strategic lead, said: “We are absolutely thrilled to have received this recognition. Creative Minds puts communities at the centre of health improvement and to be chosen as a winner against leading international organisations shows the true impact of our work.

“This feels like a real opportunity to fully realise the potential of Creative Minds and the thought leadership it brings to the health and care system.”