The Tower Hamlets Mental Health user led grants programme currently funds  user led groups to provide a wide range of social and therapeutic activities that promote social inclusion, well-being, and independence for people with mental health problems aged over 18.

User led groups are at the heart of the Council’s strategy to develop services that give more choice and control to service users. In particular the Health and Wellbeing Board Strategy places a significant emphasis on the fact that service users have told us that they want more choice and control over services. User Led groups deliver preventive services which increase wellbeing and keep people out hospital. They are effective value-for-money ways of keeping people well in the community. Local JSNA data supports the success of the Tower Hamlets preventative approach in keeping people with mental health problems well in the community, thus preventing more acute and costly care and support needs.

The grant scheme has been running for 8 years and has steadily increased the level of peer support available in Tower Hamlets. The scheme invites small user-led groups for people with mental health problems to apply for a maximum grant of £5,000 per year to develop peer support networks.

At the Commissioners' Decision Making Meeting on 21^st April 2016, 31 groups were approved at a total of £90, 838 per annum. Funding was allocated for 12 months, renewable dependent on outcomes performance for a further year.

At the end of year one of the programme the Grants Committee will be recommended to approve the second year of programme for 2017-18, including the revision of 5 of the grant awards for successful groups.