A new pilot scheme will award 11 local authorities’ part of a £12.7 million sum to help them offer prescriptions for walking, cycling, and wheeling. The pilots are a commitment to the governments Gear Change Plan that was introduced in 2020. The funding will help to offer patients a wide range of services including adult cycling training, free bike loans and walking and cycling groups. The 11 pilot areas aim to monitor the impact of cycling and walking on an individual’s mental and physical health over the next 3 years (2022-2025). If the pilot is successful, we could see the introduction of such schemes throughout the United Kingdom in coming years.
The scheme not only aims to improve patient health, but also to reduce medicine prescribing, improve air quality in communities by reducing vehicle emissions and to reduce congestion in busy areas. In an aim to tackle these various issues, the pilot scheme brings together an amalgamation of Government departments and agencies including NHS England, the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities, Sport England, the National Academy for Social Prescribing and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).
It has been noted by the government that the pilot needs to be delivered in association with improved infrastructure, so people feel safe to cycle and walk in their local communities. Currently, cycling makes up around 2% of transport in the UK, compared to 26% in the Netherlands. There is also large disparity between the amount of cycling in different areas. For example, the average cycling commute rate in UK cities is around 1% compared to 33% in Cambridge. There are likely a wide number of reasons affecting cycling rates in different areas in the UK, with the pilot scheme aiming to tackle training and financial burdens.
The Minister for Health, Maria Caulfield has said that over 900,000 people will be referred to this scheme and other similar social prescribing schemes throughout 2023 and 2024.
A list of all areas receiving funding through this pilot scheme:
- Bath and North-East Somerset
- Bradford
- Cornwall
- Cumbria
- Doncaster
- Gateshead
- Leeds
- Nottingham
- Plymouth
- Suffolk
- Staffordshire
For more information, please follow the links below:
Walking, wheeling and cycling to be offered on prescription in nationwide trial
Cycling and walking plan for England
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cycling-and-walking-plan-for-england
Cycling behaviour in 17 countries across 6 continents: levels of cycling, who cycles, for what purpose, and how far?https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/01441647.2021.1915898
