Abstract

Framework: Rather than impose a template for what a healthy place will look like, NHS England is providing capability and resource support to empower ten demonstrator sites to develop proposals that cut across several congress themes. This presentation will describe key themes arising from phase 1 of the programme, and outline the practical lessons learnt from the bringing together of public health and medical professionals, urban planners, local authorities, and the private sector, which will ultimately enhance citizen health and wellbeing.

Practical application: NHS England’s Healthy New Towns programme, launched in 2016, sets out to rethink how we live, how health and care services can be delivered, and how the built environment can support improving health. The NHS has identified ten demonstrator towns, potentially impacting 76,000 homes, more than 200,000 people, and supporting community infrastructure. The sites cover a wide range of land ownership and development approaches, including: public-sector land; private-sector land; public and private-sector partnerships; and a local authority acting as lead developer.

The demonstrator sites are at varying stages of development, which has enabled the programme to examine how to embed health principles into locations reflecting their stage of evolution. Phase one of the programme concluded in January 2017, with the submission of technical delivery plans by each demonstrator site.

Outcomes: Key themes have emerged, covering a wide range of issues across policy, the built environment, service delivery and technology, including: design codes; digital technologies; models of care; town planning; leadership and organisational structure; public and private-sector partnerships; behavioural change; active mobility; public realm; healthy homes; and community engagement.

Implications: As the programme moves into phase two, the focus changes to how to disseminate good practice, create the evidence base, and how to impact and influence other national programmes to embed healthy principles into policy. The aims are for the information to be able to demonstrate the value of delivering a Healthy New Town and to provide a supportive framework for future development.