Hearing Concern Link - Modernisation Fund case study

Hearing Concern LINK used its £1,000 Modernisation Fund bursary to explore how working collaboratively with regional organisations would help it to reduce costs and increase the reach of its work.

The charity was formed in 2008 as a result of the amalgamation of two separate organisations: Heraing Concern and the LINK Centre for Deafened People. It is a national organisation that works with adults who have experienced hearing loss, providing emotional and practical support for them and their families.

Hearing Concern LINK currently runs a specialised form of rehabilitation programme for deafened adults, which is sold to the NHS. The advice the bursary paid for enabled the charity to explore whether it could develop partnerships with regionally-based organisations to deliver these programmes under a franchise arrangement. This would help the organisation fulfil its current priorities - to widen the reach of its services and lower its outgoings.

The adviser recommended that the organisation now needs to develop a proper partnership agreement to take the franchise model forward.

Talking about the fund, Lorraine Gailey, Chief Executive of Hearing Concern LINK said:
"The bursary gave us the opportunity to look into the idea of regional partnerships in great depth. It made us realise that such collaborations would help to reduce our overheads, whilst improving the quality of the programme and making it available to more people who need it. We're now planning on taking the next steps to put our plans in motion."