Suffolk health and social care services are to receive a cash boost of almost £5million, including funding for a dozen carers to help older people in their own home.

The extra cash, announced today by Suffolk’s clinical commissioning groups, is to help prevent ill health by joining together health and social care.

Some 46 projects, run by voluntary, community and public sector organisations across the county, will benefit from the funding, provided by the CCGs’ ‘Transformation Fund’ to support partnership working.

The greatest share, £116,000, will provide 12 community health care assistants to support frail and older people in their own home.

A further £46,000 will fund 1,000 self-help “myHeart” apps, which delivers an individualised, self-managed cardiac rehabilitation platform for people with heart disease. The Living Life to the Full programme will receive £78,000 to increase access to mental wellbeing support at 27 rural GP practices. And £9,000 will aid health education for refugees and asylum seekers.

The funding is hoped to provide better co-ordinated services to help people stay independent and healthy for longer.

Ed Garratt, chief officer for both CCGs, said it will help people “enjoy good physical and mental wellbeing”.

“This can only be achieved through very close working between partners and will help ensure health and social care services have a sustainable future,” Dr Garratt added. “It is pleasing that so many organisations with so many good ideas applied for this funding. Some of projects have received a sizeable sum, others more modest amounts. This reflects how projects both big and small can make a positive difference to people’s lives. Over the coming months we’ll be monitoring the projects to ensure that the funding is being used effectively to support our local community.”

Andy Yacoub, CEO of Healthwatch Suffolk, added: “I would like to thank the CCGs for doing something different by inviting stakeholders to be part of the decision on how this transformation money could be used, rather than by making in-house decisions as has sometimes been the case in the past. It’s brave, open and shows that the CCGs respect their partners in the east and west Suffolk health and care system.”