21 Oct 2019
Active ageing: PHE and CAB set out plans to make England the 'best place to grow older'
BY Tom Walker
Public Health England (PHE) and the Centre for Ageing Better (CAB) have set out their shared vision for making England the "best place in the world to grow old".
The partners have published a consensus statement, setting out their shared commitment.
The document has already secured a number of signatories across the health and housing sectors – as well as from academia, local government, the NHS and the public and voluntary sectors.
PHE and the CEB will now begin working with the signatories and other interested organisations to develop and promote good practice and share learning, with the goal of ensuring "everyone can look forward to a healthy later life".
Among the commitments outlined in the consensus statement are for the signatories to focus on preventative measures and evidence-based interventions – such as exercise referrals.
There are also commitments to narrow inequalities, challeng ageist and negative language and to remove barriers for older adults to participate in community matters, physical activities and volunteering.
According to Duncan Selbie, CEO of Public Health England, the statement contributes towards the government’s ambition for everyone to have five extra years of healthy, independent life by 2035.
"With the commitment to the Ageing Society Grand Challenge in the Industrial Strategy and the launch of the NHS Long Term Plan – along with the World Health Organization announcing a Decade of Healthy Ageing – there has never been a better time to challenge ageism and realise the potential of people in later life," Selbie writes in the statement.
"Delivering this vision is everyone’s responsibility and over 60 organisations have already shown leadership and signed up to this statement.
"Significant actions are now required across society to make this vision a reality. This is an active document and we will continue to encourage organisations to sign up."
To download and read the full consensus statement, click here.
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