England's Chief Medical Officer visits Bucks wellbeing initiatives

It comes as part of his research informing a report on health in small towns and rural areas across the country.

Buckinghamshire Council and Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust welcomed Professor Chris Witty to showcase several local partnership‑led initiatives working to improve health and wellbeing in the area's communities. 

The delegation visited Elmhurst Primary School, with discussions focused on smoke-free school gates, air quality and road safety, park and green space use and healthy food schemes. At the Swan Practice and Buckingham Community Hospital, Professor Witty was shown integrated neighbourhood health and connected care, proactive frailty clinics and both the opportunities and challenges associated with providing services in more rural areas. 

Buckingham Library was an additional stop on the tour, highlighting the Healthy Libraries Programme and the role of libraries "as trusted, accessible community hubs supporting health and wellbeing" with information, activities and partnership working to support people throughout their lifetimes.

Following his visit, Professor Chris Whitty, reflected: "I was delighted to have the opportunity to visit Buckinghamshire, and to hear more about the excellent work happening to meet the needs of communities across the county. In rural areas, delivering healthcare and public health services to dispersed populations across a large geography can be a significant challenge. It was encouraging to see how strong partnership working – between the council, NHS, and other local partners – is helping to overcome these challenges and to improve health outcomes for local communities."

Isobel Darby, Buckinghamshire Council Cabinet Member for Health and Wellbeing, said:

"It's been a pleasure to welcome Professor Whitty to Buckinghamshire today so he can see first-hand some of the important work on health and wellbeing we are delivering with our NHS partners in the county. Life in towns, villages and in rural settings creates different opportunities and challenges for health than more urban areas and being able to show how the council and the NHS addresses health and wellbeing through local services and policies has been really valuable. We are sure other areas can learn from many of the programmes and approaches we have adopted in Buckinghamshire and we are pleased to be helping to shape such an important national policy document."

Raghuv Bhasin, Chief Executive at Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust, added: "It was a pleasure to welcome Professor Whitty to Buckinghamshire and highlight the progress we're making through neighbourhood working, bringing partners together to provide more joined-up, proactive care. Visits like this show how strong local relationships across health, local government and community organisations are helping us respond to the specific challenges of rural communities and deliver care closer to home."

Buckinghamshire is the latest county visited by Professor Chris Witty this year, with Northumberland, Devon and East Riding of Yorkshire also visited as part of his national information‑gathering programme.