Spinal Injuries Association secures Lottery funding for peer support service

A community-based peer support service for people who have recently sustained a spinal cord injury is set to be extended across England following a grant from the Big Lottery Fund.

The Community Peer Support Service (CPSS), run by the Spinal Injuries Association (SIA), offers practical and emotional help to newly paralysed people who have not been admitted to a specialist NHS Spinal Injuries Centre.

Now a grant of nearly £350,000 from the Big Lottery Fund has helped to secure its immediate future and cement plans to develop the service into a nationwide provision.

Launched in 2008 to cover the south of the country, the CPSS will now be available across the country, working in over 450 District General Hospitals and Rehabilitation Centres. There will also be an officer working specifically with the Armed Forces.

The Community Peer Support Officers are all themselves spinal cord injured and use their own experiences of living with paralysis to support newly injured people and their families in the early days.

Paul Smith, Executive Director of SIA, said: “We are absolutely delighted to be awarded such a large grant from the Big Lottery Fund. This money will impact on hundreds of people’s lives over the coming years. The research by the University of Plymouth undoubtedly helped us to secure these funds by helping us to demonstrate the value of the service.”

As part of the application process, SIA was asked to conduct a detailed evaluation of the service to prove it was delivering value to the sector. Without the resources to conduct such a task, they turned to Plymouth University, and their annual Community Research Awards.

The awards – the only programme of its type in the higher education sector – enable charities and voluntary organisations in Devon and Cornwall to ‘pitch’ problems and opportunities to the University, and liaise with academics who have related research interests.

The SIA made a successful application in 2009 and began working with Jenny Freeman and Bernhard Haas, Associate Professors at the School of Health Professions. Together with a fellow researcher, Linnie Price, they oversaw an exhaustive sequence of s with the people with spinal cord injury, family members and staff at NHS Trusts. The report they submitted earlier this year was then used by the SIA in its application.

Freeman said: “This is a great example of how a university can apply its research expertise to real-world issues and generate tangible benefits for voluntary organisations.”

Bernhard Haas added: “By working closely with service users, charities and local businesses, we can ensure the relevance of our work, which is deeply satisfying.”

Nat Sloane, Big Lottery Fund’s England Chair, said: “Funding the Spinal Injuries Association is an excellent example of how grants from the Big Lottery Fund add value by enabling vital support to people experiencing incredibly challenging times.”

ENDS