We welcome NHS England’s plan to create ten ‘healthy new towns’

The Centre for Ageing Better welcomes the announcement of NHS England’s plans to create ten NHS-supported ‘healthy new towns’ across the country, covering more than 76,000 new homes with potential capacity for approximately 170,000 residents.

The NHS will help shape the way these new sites develop to test creative solutions for health and care challenges including obesity, dementia and community cohesion. NHS England is bringing together clinicians, designers and technology experts to reimagine how healthcare can be delivered in these places, to showcase what is possible by joining up design of the built environment with modern health and care services, and to deploy new models of technology-enabled primary care.

“Well-designed homes and neighbourhoods play an important role in helping more of us remain healthy, active and connected. It can also result in cost savings for the state by reducing the need for health and social care.”

“We fully support the Healthy New Towns initiative as it puts ‘health’ at the heart of the community and recognises that this requires much more than providing health care – it requires places that support everyone, of all ages, to live healthy and fulfilling lives.”

“We look forward to working with NHS England to help the sites make good use of the evidence for what makes communities ‘age friendly’. We will also share the learning from the sites, so that more people and places understand how good local planning can improve later life.”

Find out more about the Healthy New Towns initiative.