Director of Public Health Annual Report 2018: Healthy places

It is a statutory requirement for the Director of Public Health to produce an annual report on the health of their local population. This year, my report focuses on the importance of the places we live, work and play and the communities we belong to for our health and wellbeing. It highlights how well designed places and socially connected communities offer solutions to our current and future health challenges.

This is particularly relevant as Buckinghamshire is changing, along with the world around us. Our population is growing and ageing and we will see significant new housing and infrastructure developments in the short and medium term. This can bring opportunities for Buckinghamshire residents but must be managed effectively to mitigate any potential adverse effects. These changes are a great opportunity to involve residents in designing healthy places for people to live, learning the lessons from the past and ensuring design supports health and wellbeing, and makes healthy choices the easy choices. We need to ensure that new developments reflect the needs of all sections of society and our growing older population. When we look around the places we live through the eyes of a three year old, or an older person, or someone with disabilities, what would we see? Would the places we live work for us then?

We also need to future proof our developments as far as possible, anticipating and mitigating the impact of climate change for example.

Whilst we plan the physical environment we must recognise that the social environment and the social connections in our communities are equally important. Having supportive social networks, being able to participate in community life and having a voice in local decisions makes a vital contribution to our health and wellbeing. Policies that involve people in decisions that affects them whether in planning, local authority services or health care or other sectors strengthens independence and enables people to feel more in control. This is not only good for their health but also often results in better decisions. Planning neighbourhoods with welcoming places to meet and interact is a vital component but the heart and spirit of the community depends on the people who live there and participate in community life and make it a great place to live.

Certain groups in society are more vulnerable to the effects of adverse living conditions such as poor quality housing or exposure to air and noise pollution, including the very young, older people and people with long term health conditions. Key groups are also more likely to experience poorer living conditions such as those living on low incomes or in more deprived areas. It is important to take the particular needs of these groups into account to ensure that the health of the most vulnerable is protected.

There is much good work already underway in Buckinghamshire by the District Councils and County Council to keep Buckinghamshire thriving and attractive and many active communities making their neighbourhoods a great place to live. This report aims to highlight some of the most important environmental determinants of health in Buckinghamshire and the importance of strong communities.

My report is for the public and private sector in Buckinghamshire – local authorities, developers, the NHS, schools, universities and businesses who can influence our physical and social environment in a wide variety of ways as well as the residents and communities. This report can be used to inform plans for new large-scale developments but also to prompt ideas from communities, community groups, town and parish councils, the voluntary and faith sector about the small social or environmental changes they might make to improve the places they live and the health of their community. Finally, I recognise that planning the places we live often involves managing conflicting demands and aspirations e.g. for transport, green space and affordable housing but I strongly believe that building health and wellbeing into the fabric of our communities will benefit everyone in Buckinghamshire.

Dr Jane O’Grady Director of Public Health June 2018

Acknowledgements

Thanks to Sam Williamson, Emily Youngman, Ravikumar Balakrishnan, Shakiba Habibula, Tracey Ironmonger, Angie Blackmore, April Brett, Tom Burton, Sarah Preston, Lucie Smith, Wayne Thompson, Karen Bulmer, Nicola Higgins, Sonia Storey, Joan Hancox , Sally Sharp, Ruth Page , Angie Sarchet and the Buckinghamshire Communications team.