Bedford borough has one of the highest rates of green space access in the country, with 84.2 percent of adults living near parks and open spaces.
Access to green spaces is associated with increased physical activity, reduced stress, and improved overall health, all of which are known to reduce the risk of heart disease.
Yet despite this, cardiovascular conditions such as hypertension remain a significant health concern in the borough, government figures show.
Bedford Borough Council said there is a variety of “high-quality” green spaces that residents enjoy, and that it recognises the importance of physical activity and access to green spaces for physical and mental health.
A spokesperson said: “Our Joint Local Health and Wellbeing Strategy includes a workstream that is focused on improving the use of Bedford’s green spaces, blue spaces (e.g. the river) and local heritage sites.
“Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) data shows that Bedford borough has a similar rate of preventable premature mortality from cardiovascular disease as England.
“But we know there are inequalities, with much higher mortality rates in some of the urban wards,” they said.
The council added that cardiovascular health is affected by a variety of risk factors, and according to the 2021 Global Burden of Disease study poor diet, tobacco use and obesity were the most important risk factors for cardiovascular disease for men and women in the borough.
“The council is taking steps to improve the local food environment, for example restricting the advertising of unhealthy foods on council-owned assets,” the spokesperson added.
“[There is] free support for people who want to stop smoking or manage their weight, through its new Choose You behaviour change service.”
Read: New health service urges locals to ‘Choose You’ and make positive changes
Read: New policy sees “products linked to poor health” banned from council spaces
New learning and action week
Bedford Borough Council has partnered with Central Bedfordshire Council and the Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes Integrated Care Board (BLMK ICB) to support a green social prescribing programme.
The ICB’s Bedford borough place team is currently leading the development of the Learning and Action Network (LAN) focused on improving hypertension, and in turn cardiovascular health.
BLMK ICB said this is a system-wide initiative, with each place team working with the Institute of Healthcare Improvement (IHI) to set up a LAN team focused on understanding and implementing change ideas to improve hypertension rates in vulnerable residents.
An ICB spokesperson said, “The Bedford borough LAN is focused on improving the blood pressure management of residents aged 40-64 with a Black African and/or Black Caribbean ethnicity who live in or attend a GP practice in either the Kingsbrook, Cauldwell or Kempston Wards (excluding Kempston Rural).
“On average, individuals of Black African and Black Caribbean heritage are 1.7 times more likely of being diagnosed with hypertension compared to the White British population.
“Each place team has selected a different population grouping as its priority, based on risk mapping.”
The project is a partnership between residents representing patients from the target practices, the general practices themselves, an ICB quality improvement coach, community and faith leaders, a nightclub, the Menopause Alliance and others with lived experience.
Also, four pharmacies, which have been designated as hypertension case-finding hubs, have introduced a pilot booking system for residents to book blood pressure checks at the pharmacies.
The borough council said that in the first four months of the scheme, 1,103 clinical records were reviewed and 252 patients received a review appointment.
More information on green social prescribing can be found here, while the ‘Choose You’ programmes can be found here.
By John Guinn
Local Democracy Reporter
