The Department of Health has announced grants totalling £6m to fund volunteer-led health and social care projects.

As part the government’s Big Society agenda and wider NHS reforms 13 organisations have been awarded a Department of Health Volunteering Award which will be spread over three years.

The award was launched last November and received more than 100 applications. The successful organisations effectively showed how they would address one of four themes – patient led NHS, delivering better health outcomes, improving public health or improving health and social care.  

Volunteering charity CSV has been awarded £561,000 over three years to train ‘Health Champions’ in 12 towns and cities to tackle embarrassing health issues such as bowel cancer, sexual health and dementia among the over 50s.

Lucy de Groot, chief executive of CSV said: “Experience shows that local volunteers bring qualities of time, trust and local knowledge that help break down barriers to complex and sometimes taboo health issues.”

Meanwhile YMCA England will receive almost £600,000 to train ‘Young Health Champions’ who will mentor other vulnerable young people and to influence local health providers so that services are suitable for the needs of young people.

Other organisations receiving grants of between £100,000 and £600,000 were Platform 51, Diabetes UK, Action for Blind People, Royal Mencap Society, the Place2Be, Bliss, Family Lives, British Refugee Council, Age UK, NCT and the Young Foundation.

The minister of state for care services, Paul Burstow, said:  “The idea of a Big Society isn’t new, what is new is that this government is making it easier for people to do more: giving people power to improve public services, putting communities in control and supporting people to help others.”