Keynote speech for CABE Health week 2006

Andy Burnham, health minister, discusses the effects of design on the community and social infrastructure, particularly investment in building for health.

As health minister for quality, I am delighted to launch CABE Health Week 2006. For the whole of this week CABE have invited delegates to join them in exploring the relationship between health and the built environment.

This week demonstrates the range of ways that we can intervene to improve health. Delegates will explore the links between, how to shape and design the environment to ensure healthy sustainable communities, the connection between access to parks and green spaces and physical and mental health and the links between health care buildings and healing. Improving the design of the environment in which people live and work can promote both physical and mental health. The need to improve the built environment has been recognised by this government and we, as a department, are committed to developing healthy sustainable communities. We are working to ensure that the built environment promotes health and well-being, narrows health inequalities and provides access to high quality patient-centred health and social care services.

This involves collaboration from a wide range of sectors harnessing skills, from planning and designing new communities to commissioning and delivering an appropriate range of services to meet local need.

When designing the built environment we must consider the community and social infrastructure. Many of the health related benefits that could flow from this approach.

As a department we have been supporting the NHS and social care organisations to make a positive contribution to securing healthy communities. We have been working to ensure the NHS is engaged early in the planning of these new communities and plays a significant role in their development.

Additional funding for those PCTs experiencing rapid housing and population growth has been agreed. An extra £20m was distributed between those PCTs bearing the biggest impact of housing growth in both 2004/5 and 2005/6 and an extra £20m in capital monies was distributed to the SHAs covering the growth areas for 2005/6. Growth area adjustment factor was included in the calculation of target allocations that were used to inform 2006/7 and 2007/8 PCT revenue allocations. Forty of the 44 PCTs in the growth areas received such an adjustment.

Health and social care provision must be integrated with other aspects of public service delivery. But to realise our ambition to do more to prevent ill-health it is important that the health and social care sector are involved in the wider planning and delivery of sustainable communities to 'design in health' from the start.

The physical environment of our NHS facilities is vital to delivering effective healthcare. A well- designed, NHS facility stands as a visible embodiment of the commitment that we give to patients-that they will be well cared for, comfortable and safe.

We have never had a better understanding of how investment in building for health pays off in the long term. Design quality on both the large and small scale can deliver a wide range of benefits, from reducing the operating costs of a building and improving staff performance, to affecting health outcomes and strengthening patient safety. The Department of health is committed to achieving excellence in the design of healthcare facilities by embedding three principles firmly into the culture of the NHS. These principles are quality, value for money and safety. These three principles can equally apply to the whole of our built environment. In 2000, when the Prime Minister launched Better public buildings, he was clear that 'Good design is a commitment to a better quality of life for all'. 2006 will witness the publication of Better public buildings two, which will demonstrate how far we have come across government to revitalise our neighbourhoods and cities.

CABE have played a key role in supporting this step change across government and specifically the Department of health's design programme. They have recently published Designed with care, which highlights through a .number of case studies, that the quality of the local environment can contribute to each phase of healthcare -prevention, intervention and recovery.

This year we are witnessing the continuation of the 10-year programme of investment and reform in the NHS.

We are refurbishing and building more hospitals than ever before. Since 1997, 91 new schemes worth £7.7 billion have opened to patients, or are in the process of being built.

In many areas, the NHS is the largest local employer and the biggest customer for local suppliers. Where we locate our hospitals and other big investments can be a strong force for regeneration in deprived neighbourhoods. The NHS as a good corporate citizen can help tackle local unemployment and create new opportunities for people stuck in low-paid, unskilled jobs. It can buy food which helps local suppliers, promotes healthier eating and helps patients recover faster. It can help cut unnecessary journeys to work. Its new buildings can be beautiful, energy-efficient and sustainable. But, as CABE Health Week highlights, healthcare is not just about hospitals. The recent health white paper builds care around people, into communities and closer to home. We are improving our community-based services. People want services that are more convenient, provide better support for those with ongoing needs, and enable people to lead healthier and more independent lives. To deliver this, we need the right healthcare buildings, in the right place.

To this end, the NHS has never witnessed such a sustained investment in GP surgeries and health centres. In excess of £800 million of private sector investment has already been raised to provide new buildings through NHS LIFT. By the end of 2005, 54 new buildings were open and in 2006, a new LIFT building is expected to open every week. This is part of a major programme to improve and expand primary care and community services. Events like this week ensure that all those involved in delivering this agenda have a chance to have their say. Health professionals play an important role in influencing the design of the built environment. Similarly those who have traditionally managed these issues - urban planners, architects, engineers, developers should recognise the important health implications of their decisions and seek collaboration.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who is and will be participating in the weeks' activities and particularly thanks to CABE for their work to promote design excellence. I encourage CABE to continue campaigning across government to improve the architecture of our public buildings whilst at the same time improving health.