Healthier Fleetwood was formed in early 2016 to make a connection between the Town’s residents and with local support and services as a means to improve health and wellbeing. It is independent of but work closely with the NHS, local authorities, businesses, the education, faith and voluntary sectors. It supports the delivery of social prescribing, making a positive difference to long-term wellbeing of individuals and families and the community as a whole. Since the start of Healthier Fleetwood, the initiative has connected individuals and groups, to increase their confidence and take more control over their health and the decisions that affect their lives. The success of this approach and its impact on health has been reflected in encouraging trends for reduced GP and A&E visits by Fleetwood residents and also recognised by awards from the NHS and extensive, positive media coverage for the Town. Nevertheless, the impact of this has never been captured nor disseminated to benefit other towns and residents.

Aim: To develop an in-depth understanding of what impact is understood to be for the community and those engaged in the Healthier Fleetwood initiative, in order to develop an impact case study for replicating benefits to other UK towns.

[OBJ1] Capture the impact and the lessons learnt from the Healthier Fleetwood listening approach.

[OBJ2] Establish the barriers/challenges stakeholders faced in adopting this method and the best means of engaging additional stakeholders.

[OBJ3] Document and share the lessons that can be taken forward to benefit other UK towns and local councils.

While the focus is on Fleetwood, its similarities to other coastal and deprived neighbourhoods and towns make this project a scalable and replicable study for other parts of the UK.

The project is funded by  the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) Impact Accelerator Account at Lancaster University.