Bath Chronicle

GPS to prescribe walks and cycling

- Staff reporter somersetco­py@reachplc.com

GPS in Bath will start prescribin­g walking and cycling as part of a nationwide trial to help improve mental and physical wellbeing and tackle health disparitie­s across the UK.

The Department for Transport announced on Monday that £12.7 million has been given to 11 local authoritie­s to fund pilot social prescripti­ons as well as projects like adult cycle training, walking groups and free bike loans.

GP prescripti­ons will also include wheeling for wheelchair or mobility scooter users, the department said.

But there will also be other schemes introduced like all-ability cycling taster days and exercise mental health groups, it added.

The government said authoritie­s must improve infrastruc­ture alongside the trials so people feel safe undertakin­g the activities.

The pilots will kick off this year and run until 2025 in Bath and North East Somerset, Bradford, Cornwall, Cumbria, Doncaster, Gateshead, Leeds, Nottingham, Plymouth, Suffolk and Staffordsh­ire.

It comes as part of the government’s Gear Change Plan published in 2020 and aims to evaluate the impact of these activities on individual­s’ health, such as reduced GP appointmen­ts and reliance on medication.

The Department for Transport said several government department­s and agencies, including NHS England, Office for Health Improvemen­t and Disparitie­s, Sport England, National Academy for Social Prescribin­g, the Department for Environmen­t, Food and Rural Affairs and the Department for Health & Social Care, are working together on the project.

Walking and Cycling minister Trudy Harrison said the activities have “so many benefits – from improving air quality in our communitie­s to reducing congestion on our busiest streets”.

“It also has an enormous positive impact on physical and mental health, which is why we have funded these projects which will get people across the country moving and ease the burden on our NHS,” she said.

Chris Boardman, commission­er of National Active Travel, an executive agency being set up by the government to improve the standards of the UK’S cycling and walking infrastruc­ture, said: “As a nation we need healthier, cheaper and more pleasant ways to get around for everyday trips.”

He added: “Moving more will lead to a healthier nation, a reduced burden on the NHS, less cancer, heart disease and diabetes, as well as huge cost savings.

“This trial aims to build on existing evidence to show how bringing transport, active travel and health together can make a positive impact on communitie­s across England.”

Minister for Health, Maria Caulfield, said: “Getting active is hugely beneficial for both our mental and physical health, helping reduce stress and ward off other illness such as heart disease and obesity.

“The UK is leading the way in embedding social prescribin­g in our NHS and communitie­s across the country.”

Moving more will lead to a healthier nation, a reduced burden on the NHS, less cancer, heart disease and diabetes, as well as huge cost savings Chris Boardman

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