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Economic, Regeneration Tourism and Transport
Project Development Fund |
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SECTION A – PROJECT SCOPING |
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NYC Area Constituency Committee Name |
Scarborough and Whitby Area Constituency Committee |
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Project Name |
Social Prescribing Active Travel feasibility project, combined with a Pilot Project - ‘Greener, fairer, stronger communities’ |
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Description of Project Location |
Social prescribing teams across Scarborough and Whitby |
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NYC Division(s) in which the project is located |
All Scarborough and Whitby divisions |
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Project Lead Officer Details |
Name |
Jackie Speakman / Ruth Everson |
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Job Title |
Sustainable Transport Officer / Public Health Manager |
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Jackie.speakman@northyorks.gov.uk / ruth.everson@northyorks.gov.uk |
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Telephone |
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1. PROJECT DETAILS |
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Please outline why the budget is required and what are the current barriers to project development it will help overcome?
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Feasibility study rationale & purpose
Through Government grant funding, social prescriptions, including walking, wheeling, and cycling, are being offered within primary care in 11 local authority areas as part of a national trial to improve mental and physical health and reduce disparities across the country.
There is an opportunity, locally, to deliver a pilot project to increase capability and confidence of staff within the existing North Yorkshire social prescribing model to deliver brief interventions and more comprehensive support for increasing walking, cycling and utilisation of public transport as part of an active journey.
Only 11.8% (2019/20) of the North Yorkshire population walk as part of active travel at least three days per week. This is statistically, significantly worse than the England average of 15.1% (2019/20), and a significant reduction from 18.1% of the North Yorkshire population reporting walking for active travel three times per week in 2015/16. Source: Department for Transport (based on the Active Lives Adult Survey, Sport England)
Only 1.3% (2019/20) of the North Yorkshire population report cycling for travel three times per week. This is statistically, significantly lower than the national average of 2.3% (2019/20) and lower than previous years, where the highest percentage of population has reached 2.4% (2016/17 & 2017/18). Source: Department for Transport (based on the Active Lives Adult Survey, Sport England)
Traditionally, the rates of walking and cycling for travel in North Yorkshire are consistently below England averages.
Rurality is a compounding factor however, with the increased investment of walking and cycling infrastructure, there is an opportunity to support our population to review their capabilities, opportunities, and motivations to increase active travel behaviours.
The benefits of an increasing population in North Yorkshire taking up more active travel modes are far reaching; improved health outcomes and reduced health inequalities (through increased physical activity, improved food security- access, improved air quality, & reduced road accidents), environmental benefits (carbon reduction, reduced noise pollution), economic benefits (employability, local business support, more efficient use of transport networks). Supporting greener, fairer, stronger communities.
The pilot project will specifically look to develop and deliver an active travel training package for social prescribers and wider roles such as supported employment.
The aim of the training being to increase the capability & confidence of social prescribing staff to effectively deliver active travel brief interventions and more comprehensive support packages (to include behaviour change techniques*) to North Yorkshire residents accessing social prescribing. There is also potential to consider such a training model for wider health care staff, for example care support workers, link workers, supported employment.
The aim for our residents is to enable people to feel ready and confident to use existing or new footpaths, cycleways, and public transport for their everyday journeys.
Feasibility study - activity We would be looking to seek support from NYC Training and Learning team to develop, test and deliver a ‘social prescribing active travel’ training package to social prescribers across Scarborough and Whitby. The Training and Learning Team has already been engaged with this scheme and have stated they can support with this.
Expected outcomes of the feasibility study - Value for money/Return on investment (in relation to client outcomes) - economic modelling/level of investment needed for scaling up/rolling out - Workforce development i.e. ability to deliver active travel brief interventions and more comprehensive behaviour change techniques - Utilisation of pathways within the service and across the wider system (between services) - Coordination of delivering brief interventions and/or a more comprehensive support offer from the perspective of social prescribing clients - Better understanding of local barriers and facilitators of active travel behaviors and opportunity to inform pipeline active travel schemes i.e., walking and cycling infrastructure investment, school streets policy.
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Please detail what specific costs the budget will be spent on? |
Revenue costs associated with developing and delivering a social prescribing active travel training package, primarily in house with a small amount of external technical support. |
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Please describe the future project that this activity will help to unlock.
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Over the course of this six-month feasibility study, the intention would be to test out and evaluate a ‘social prescribing active travel’ training package for social prescribing teams across Scarborough and Whitby. The intention would then be to roll out across all social prescribing teams to cover all remaining ACC areas. There is further potential to role this out to other customer facing roles across a number of Directorates.
Insights gathered through stakeholders, social prescribing teams and client engagement have the potential to inform future walking, cycling and public transport infrastructure opportunities. For example - barriers to active travel behaviours being linked to infrastructure limitations. Insights gathered could also inform and targeted work that needs to be delivered with e.g. population groups, specific travel journeys i.e. to health care facilities, shops, work or training.
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2. STRATEGIC FIT |
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Detail how the project will contribute to the North Yorkshire Council ‘Council Plan’ and the Economic Growth Strategy or the Destination Management Plan
(Reference should be made on how a future project will help deliver the respective strategies)
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Council Plan
Place and environment · Supporting communities to work together to improve their local area · A clean, environmentally sustainable form of travel · It connects people to activities, groups, and services in their community to meet the practical, social, and emotional needs that affect their health and wellbeing · Encouraging active and sustainable travel (A&ST) has a positive impact on the environment by helping to lower the carbon footprint · Increased numbers of people using A&ST will reduce congestion, thus improving the air quality, resulting in fewer illnesses and improved health
Economy · A money saving exercise; therefore, people will have increased disposable income for necessities · Additional services and community events will attract and encourage new people into the area
Health and wellbeing · People are supported to have a superior quality of life and enjoy active and healthy lifestyles · Reduced variations in health through tackling inequalities · Inspiring and enabling an active and healthier North Yorkshire for all · Social prescribing will have a positive impact on peoples physical and mental health, helping to reduce visits to NHS services and general practitioners
People · Supporting people in times of hardship · People can achieve their potential through education and learning · Participants will be healthier because of social prescribing opportunities, both physically and mentally
Organisation · Improved links with professional where people can access appropriate services
Economic Growth Strategy 2024- 2029 · Contribute to the carbon negative ambition · Overcome barriers to learning/work · Ensure people have the skills required
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3. LOCAL FIT |
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Detail how this project meets local priorities including linkages with local regeneration plans and strategies. |
By training staff to increase their knowledge and understanding of the benefits of active travel and confidently signposting to local services/providers, it will encourage individuals to become more active, thus improving their physical and mental health.
This in turn links into the following; · Active travel is a key priority in both the Scarborough Town Investment Plan (TIP) and the Scarborough Blueprint - both documents have a key priority to create a greater range of transport links · Adults are identified as being inactive if they engage in less than 30 minutes of physical activity per week. The proportion of inactive adults in Scarborough in 2019 was lower than the National average (19 % locally, 22% nationally) · The proportion of children of Reception age who are overweight or obese in the district is significantly higher than recorded for England (28% locally, 22% nationally) · By enhancing interconnectivity between different modes of transport, it will increase travel choices, and opportunities to promote more sustainable and active travel · Aspirations to develop safer active travel routes between Eastfield and Scarborough · North Yorkshire Councils new Sport and Active Being Service committed to delivering in local communities
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4. FINANCE |
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Will the service area be making a financial contribution to the project development costs? If so, please detail.
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In kind costs associated with attendance at project group meetings and releasing staff for engagement activity and attendance of training. |
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Please confirm the amount of money required.
Please provide a breakdown of costs / estimates where available and how these have been calculated.
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£2,000 design and development costs (NYC Training and Learning) £500 specialist content development (X2 days of officer time from transport planning and behaviour science specialists – to contribute to the training content) £3,000 consultant on specialist active travel knowledge £9,000 delivery – tiered approach of mix of e-learning and face to face (£100 per delegate x 80-90 staff delivering social prescribing, including any staff turn-over) £1,000 client resources
TOTAL costs £15,500 |
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5. DELIVERY, TIMESCALES AND MONITORING |
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What is the staffing resource within NYC required / how will it be resourced?
Has the capacity to complete the activity been confirmed with the relevant service manager?
Dependencies on other NYC services
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· The Living Well team management will coordinate the training to staff working in the Scarborough and Whitby area, and make it part of their mandatory training going forward · The Training and Learning team will develop the training package and they have the capacity to do this within the budget and timescales as described on this application
· The pilot project is supported by management in the Public Health, Transport Planning and Living Well teams
· NYC Training and Learning staff will develop a bespoke training package to deliver within the budget applied for on this application · NYC Officer time from the following areas; Transport Planning and Behaviour Science specialists – who will contribute to the training content
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Please outline the anticipated timeframe for delivery of the activity?
Please include details of how the activity will be procured (if required).
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Specific milestones include:
Friday 7 June 2024: - ACC meeting for feasibility project decision
1 July – 31 August 2024: - Establish project working group – to include (but not exclusive to) Public Health, Economic Development, Targeted Prevention, Sustainable travel & transport planning, Training & Learning. - Identify Training & Learning resource to develop a ‘social prescribing active travel’ training package - Conduct staff and client engagement to make an assessment on: o Current service content related to active travel o Service gaps/development opportunities o Staff training needs (competence and confidence in behaviour change) o What are the impacts on active travel behaviours i.e. access to work, health services, shops. Stakeholder engagement to support targeted intervention for those whose behaviour is likely to be able to be changed.
1 September – 30th November 2024: - Design and have a draft ‘Social Prescribing Active Travel’ training package ready
December 2024: - Test run training package with sample social prescriber staff - Evaluate and make any necessary amends/edits
1 January – 28 February 2025: - Roll out training package to all social prescribing teams - Agree uptake rates with working group and assess; any necessary action to increase uptake of training
March 2025: - Evaluate impact of training package - Scope out level of investment needed for roll out into remining ACC areas - Identify specific target populations for more focused implementation
Timescales to be negotiated, as necessary but there is a hard deadline for spend of March 2025. This means the project will be carefully monitored and any potential delays or issues raised at an early stage so mitigation measures can be implemented.
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Can the proposed work to be funded delivered within the allocated financial year? |
Yes. The training package can be developed within a x12 week period, followed by an initial test training session. Once tweaked and finalised, the training will be rolled out to staff within the Living Well team working in the Scarborough and Whitby area, within the following two months.
Following the evaluation of the pilot project in Scarborough &Whitby, the training package will then be rolled out in other ACC areas. |
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How will progress and the outcome of the project be reported to the ACC to aid effective monitoring? |
The Project Working Group would have regular briefings to be provided to ACC for monitoring. Ongoing evaluation of this pilot project will be done by Living Well team who will follow up referrals, who have been signposted to active travel. They will collate and evaluate the data for circulation.
Following the evaluation, staff will decide if the training package requires tweaking, prior to it being rolled to other ACC areas.
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6. BENEFITS |
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What are the benefits of undertaking this work now?
What opportunities / estimated
economic, social or environmental
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NYC’s Local Transport Plan has five clear objectives, which are all significant in light of the opportunity to incorporate cycling and walking within local social prescribing: economic growth, road safety, access to services, environment and climate change, and healthier travel.
Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plans (LCWIPs) are already being used to support funding bids within Scarborough and Whitby ACC area. With the help of the LCWIPs, NYC is implementing its long-term vision for walking and cycling, helping to generate modal shift through the delivery of safe, convenient and cohesive infrastructure. The social prescribing active travel feasibility study will capitalise on the investment already taking place in the towns by helping to address non-infrastructure-based barriers to walking, cycling and utilisation of public transport. Together, the investment in walking and cycling infrastructure and the social prescribing will help to increase walking and cycling, overcoming physical and social barriers that currently limit usage.
Increasing the percentage of walking and cycling as modes of transport within these areas will directly contribute to reductions in air pollution. The impact of increased walking and cycling and reduction in use of the car can easily be monitored within air quality management areas.
This bespoke training package could be expanded beyond staff in the Living Well team, into other NYC teams including Sport and Well-Being and the Supported Employment team (currently x2 members of staff in the Scarborough/Whitby area). This would enable a wider audience to confidently encourage active travel.
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AREA COMMITTEE SIGN OFF |
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ACC Meeting Date When Project Scope Agreed |
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Draft Minute Number |
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Signed (ACC Chairman) |
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Date |
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