The Liverpool Older Peoples Healthy Living Project

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The Liverpool Older Peoples Healthy Living
Project 2003-2006
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Background
The Healthy Living Centre programme is funded by
the New Opportunities Fund and was launched in
January 1999. The programme has a budget of 300
million from Lottery funds to develop a network
of Healthy Living Centres across the UK. This is
lottery funding and is therefore in addition to
other Government money being spent on health
provision. The programme is now closed to new
applications. In total 349 awards offers have
been made across the UK (257 in England, 45 in
Scotland, 28 in Wales and 19 in Northern Ireland.
The programme targets areas and groups from the
most disadvantaged sections of the population.
Healthy Living Centre schemes are expected to
seek to address the wider determinants of health,
such as social exclusion, poor access to
services, and social and economic aspects of
deprivation which contribute to inequalities in
health. Ref http//www.ohn.gov.uk/ohn/partnersh
ips/hlc.htm
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Beginnings

• What Are Healthy Living Centres (HLCs)?
• The establishment of a core network of Healthy
  Livings Centres is part of an initiative to use
  Lottery money to fund new projects in health,
  education and the environment.
• Healthy Living Centres are community based
  health-related projects. They take various forms
  and may exist as partnerships and networks rather
  than buildings
• They focus on health in its broadest sense and
  should compliment Local Health Improvement
  Programmes
• Core Principles of HLCs
• Address inequalities in health Support local
  health aims
• Involve the community Work in partnership
• Ensure additionality Ensure sustainability

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• Stay Active Stay Healthy (SASH) is an innovative
  project devised in partnership with Liverpool
  Housing Action Trust (LHAT), the Central
  Liverpool Primary Care Trust, Age Concern and The
  Big Lottery Fund.
• The aim of the project is to stimulate healthy
  living activities within the local area and raise
  awareness of the importance of keeping active and
  keeping healthy for the over 50s.
• Two Healthy Living Project Officers were
  appointed in July 2003 along with a Research and
  Interpretation officer. They set about an
  extensive networking exercise building
  partnerships within local communities with Tenant
  Associations, external organisations i.e. Local
  education providers, Age Concern, other healthy
  living projects to devise the way forward in
  terms of best practice, ensuring the project is
  evidence led.
• Lead Project Officer appointed October 2003.

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Early Days

• Taster Days
• Questionnaires
• Marketing
• Consultations with local community
• Mapping and evaluation of current provision
• Networking with local and regional initiatives
• Identifying gaps in local provision
• Through utilising these methods the team was able
  to identify gaps in provision and began the tasks
  of facilitating Healthy Living activities and
  information across the target sites.

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Participation

• Activities provided so far by the HLC have
  included
• Tai Chi
• Chair based exercise
• Arts and Crafts
• Healthy Eating classes
• Computer classes
• Complimentary therapies
• Expert Patient Course
• Smoking Cessation (including Acupuncture)

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Innovation
Over the past thirteen months the project has
been instrumental in pioneering chair based
exercise within an extra care setting by starting
a class inside a facility on landings rather than
using a community centre setting. One of these
groups, with the help of SASH, has now progressed
from chair based exercise to adapted Tai Chi.
Both these classes help to aid strength and
balance directly related to Falls Prevention.
The Project has also been directly involved in
training seven individuals as EXTEND chair based
exercise teachers, giving them a nationally
recognised qualification. SASH are also working
in partnership with an over 50s Charitable
organisation by part funding an innovative
Healthy Living Course within their local
community.
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FUTURE
SASH are now in the process of expanding their
operation throughout the city of Liverpool taking
on a further seven sites in year two. Along with
these sites the aim of the HLC is to broaden its
horizons becoming a city wide project. Building
Partnerships and constant Networking are ongoing
throughout the project and SASH are proactive in
maintaining existing partnerships and in the
creation of new opportunities. G Wilson Sept
2004