Big local institutions come together to discuss the future of Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes.

Local hospitals, councils, social care, emergency services, universities and rail companies, recently came together alongside other big local institutions, to discuss the future of health and living in Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes (BLMK).

As the NHS is a major local employer within our area, Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes Integrated Care System (BLMK ICS), invited other major local institutions to discuss our responsibilities to our local population. We know the economy and environment impact on health and well-being, so working together we can really make a difference to our population by increasing skills and employment opportunities, reducing and preventing homelessness, and improving the environment.

Four key areas were discussed in the meeting; environmental sustainability, housing, professional skills and employment, and procurement, which are incredibly important areas that have an impact on our population, their quality of life and their health outcomes.

An important aim of this project is to work with our local anchor institutions to work towards a sustainable economy across BLMK. In these initial discussions, it was suggested that environmental sustainability should be embedded into decision making and used as one of the measures for all future projects.