Government announces new funding for health charities

The government has announced new funding worth 6.8 million pounds to help health-related charities to develop and test new treatment approaches.

A total of 74 charitable organisations will get a share of the new funding package, having submitted successful bids to the Department of Health laying out how they intend to improve care for vulnerable patients and help their communities.

Winning bids include the Epilepsy Society's 300,000-pound project to promote early interventions for epilepsy patients and Maternity Action's 68,000-pound scheme to enable breastfeeding in the workplace.

Other beneficiaries include the Motor Neurone Disease Association, the Disabled Living Foundation and the Spinal Injuries Association.

Care services minister Paul Burstow said: "These exciting projects are more than worthy of our support and I am delighted that the money will be spent on providing individuals and local communities with the tools to tackle health and wellbeing."

Earlier this month, funding of more than 100 million pounds was assigned by the government to support the work carried out by NHS clinical research facilities.