READING Borough Council is rolling out a new joint service aimed at making a wide range of health and wellbeing support resources easier to access across the borough.
Live Well Reading and West Berkshire is a new integrated healthy lifestyle service which has rolled out across the two authorities.
Commissioned by Reading Borough Council and West Berkshire Council, and delivered by ICE Creates, the service brings together fully-funded support for stopping smoking, weight management, physical activity and wider wellbeing needs through a single, joined-up offer.
It replaces a number of existing services which were delivered separately, giving residents a single point of access to a wide range of support.
The service will be available to people aged 16 and over who live, work or study in Reading or West Berkshire, as well as those registered with a local GP.
Those who use the service will be provided with a dedicated coach who will provide tailored support, which providers say will reduce the need to give information and circumstances to numerous services.
Users are now able to access support for stopping smoking and vaping, weight management, emotional wellbeing support, health coaching, exercise programmes, and lifestyle support.
The service is also tipped to introduce accessible weight management support for people with learning disabilities, as well as a strength and balance programme for adults aged over 60, and stop vaping support for children and young people.
Support will be available in the community in-person, via phone, video, text and app services.
Councillors say the new approach supports both councils’ commitment to improving health outcomes and preventing ill health across local communities.
Councillor Rachel Eden, Lead Councillor for Education and Public Health at Reading Borough Council, said: “Good health support should start with the person, not the service.
“Live Well will bring services together to support individual residents, with one clear route to personalised help and a dedicated wellbeing coach who will listen, understand what matters to them and support them to make changes that work in their own lives.
“By making support easier to access in our community, by phone or online, we can help people earlier, give them more choice and control, and reduce unfair differences in health experienced in Reading.”
Dr Matthew Pearce, Director of Public Health for Reading and West Berkshire, said: “By preventing ill-health, particularly for those most at risk, we can improve people’s lives and help address unfair differences in health.
“The creation of Live Well will make it easier for community organisations and clinicians to refer local people to the right support services at the right time, as well as enabling them to self-refer.
“People will be better able to access behaviour change support, so they can take action earlier, improve their health and wellbeing, and prevent any needs from escalating.”
More information about Live Well Reading and West Berkshire, including how residents can access support, is available via: livewellrwb.org
