Agenda item

To receive a presentation on Bicester Healthy New Town. (20 mins)

Rosie Rowe, Programme Director Bicester Healthy New Town Programme, provided a presentation on the Bicester Healthy New Town programme.

During the discussion of this item the following points were made:

·         Bicester had a population of approximately 39,000.  This was set to double by 2031.

·         The programme was about growth and the challenges and opportunities that this brought.  It was an opportunity to promote the health and wellbeing of the whole local population.

·         The programme promoted behaviour change; becoming more active; being good neighbours; and eating healthily.  It was appreciated that sustaining individual behaviour change could be difficult.

·         A systems based approach and partnership was vital.  Board members were informed of an event which a number of partners participated in.  Talks had been given around exercise for diabetics, health walks and the Bicester Healthy New Town Programme, amongst other topics.  After the event 27% of attendees had signed up for some form of structured education and support.

·         The programme’s key objectives had been consulted on with experts and residents and were as follows:

o   To increase the number of children and adults who are physically active and a healthy weight. 

o   To reduce the number of people who feel socially isolated or lonely in order to improve their mental wellbeing.

·         There were three programme workstreams:

o   Bicester’s built environment - making best use of the built environment to encourage healthy living.

Community Activation – enabling local people to live healthier lives, with the support of local community groups, families and schools, and employers.

o   Health and care services -delivering new models of care that are focused on prevention and care closer to home which minimises hospital based care.

·         Board members were informed that the programme had taken a year to set up and had been just over a year in delivery.

·         The built environment was discussed.  The relationship between health colleagues and planners had improved and there was a better understanding of each other’s needs and constraints.

·         The built environment could help encourage an active lifestyle.  Digital innovations were also helping to address social isolation.  Three safe and accessible 5km health routes had been marked out by a blue line in the old part of town.  This encouraged people to meet up and walk the ‘Bicester Blue Line.’ 

·         On the Bicester West Health Route, the daily average footfall prior to installation of the Health Route was 557 people: this had increased to 708, a 27% increase.

·         Work was being carried out with community groups, leisure providers, schools and businesses, to encourage the use of walking routes and cycle paths.  There were a lot of micro businesses in the area.

·         New models of care enabled through use of technology were being developed and tested with Bicester acting as a ‘demonstrator site.’

·         Rosie Rowe outlined the benefits of healthy place making at the 2 year point, including the fact that 2,000 primary school now ran a mile a day at school and 469 more people were participating in health walks.

·         Healthy place making required a whole systems approach; policy, physical environment, organisations and institutions, social environment and the individual.  It was important to build into Integrated Care Systems.

·         Councillor Haitham Taylor asked how much resources had gone into the programme prior to its start.  Rosie Rowe commented that the Healthy New Town programme was an NHS England funded demonstrator programme.  Ten sites had been selected across the country.  It was three year programme and funding had been provided from 2016.  Approximately £900,000 would be provided over the three years.  Rosie Rowe felt that results could potentially be achieved with approximately £150,000 per year.  She went on to emphasise that it was important to have the dedicated resources in place to engage people and to make the necessary connections. 

RESOLVED:  That the Bicester Healthy New Town programme presentation be noted.