Growth

Growth image

Home » Your Health and Care Partnership » Our Priorities » Growth

We work together to help build the economy and support sustainable growth.

This priority aims to maximise the opportunities for social and economic development, including environmental sustainability and economic growth, through all partners working together.

Our aims

This includes:

  • Developing the NHS providers as Anchor Institutions to support social and economic development for our residents. A report by the Centre for Local Economic Studies from March 2023 set out recommendations for BLMK ICS healthcare anchor institutions.
  • Developing and delivering the ICS’s approach to environmental sustainability, including delivery of the net zero NHS commitments.
  • Developing skills in the local population and support employment pathways for local people to achieve increased employment levels and higher quality employment for local people,
  • Developing the ICS’s approach to research and development, including encouraging and incentivising investment in research in BLMK.
  • A more sustainable approach to procurement, taking into account social and environmental factors.
  • Identifying opportunities to work together across health and housing services to help support people to live healthily in their own homes.
  • Maximising the potential growth opportunities for BLMK through the Oxford-Cambridge Pan-Regional Partnership.

This priority takes account of the wider determinants of health in affecting people’s health outcomes: environmental issues impact on health and wellbeing; economic disadvantage is strongly associated with smoking, obesity, diabetes and hypertension; and poor housing is associated with many preventable diseases, with the cost to the NHS estimated at £1.4 billion per year.

Environmental Sustainability and the BLMK ICS Green Plan

Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes Integrated Care Board (BLMK ICB) published its Green Plan in 2022 with a vision to achieve net-zero within the region by 2035 through greater collaboration and partnership across institutions – 5 years ahead of the NHS target of 2040.

Access our pages on environmental sustainability to learn about our vision and what we’re doing to move towards net zero, and download our latest Green Plan and associated Health Impact Assessment.

View all news

Latest news and highlights

News

17 October 2025

Local care providers use digital toolkit to monitor vital signs and prevent…

A remote monitoring toolkit has demonstrated potential for empowering care staff to make data-led healthcare decisions about the people they care for. The Whzan blue…

News

15 October 2025

One in five eligible people has already had their flu jab

One in five people eligible for the flu immunisation in Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes has already had their vaccination, new figures show. It’s always…

Case Study

9 October 2025

Robotic pets comfort Bedford care home residents with dementia

Bedford-based care home residents are reaping the benefits of robotic therapy pets. Hepworth House Residential Care Home has 15 residents and since April 2025, two residents with dementia have been…

News

2 October 2025

Digital tool improves mobility and balance in people at risk of falls

The largest real-world evaluation of GaitSmart, an AI-driven digital tool for people with gait (walking pattern) and mobility issues across four sites in Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes, has seen improved health…

News

2 October 2025

Asthma inhaler project scoops prize at NHS awards ceremony

A revolutionary project which has improved care for asthma patients whilst also reducing emissions of harmful greenhouse gases and saving money was among the winners at an NHS awards ceremony.…

News

30 September 2025

Chief Executive appointed to lead new ‘Central East’ ICB cluster

Jan Thomas, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Integrated Care Board, has been appointed as the Chief Executive of the ‘Central East’ Integrated Care Board (ICB) cluster.  …