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Paths to Health

Country

Scotland

Description

Paths to Health is a national voluntary sector organisation which aims to encourage walking by supporting over 90 local health walk schemes across Scotland. Health walks are short, safe, local, low level, volunteer led walks. Paths to Health provides an enabling environment to deliver these walks by providing training, support and grants. The scale of the project depends on a community based volunteer model.

The project works at a range of levels from communities to workplaces to advocating walking at a political level.

Aims

Paths to Health's main aim is to contribute to reducing health inequalities in Scotland by supporting local health walk projects.

Paths to Health is part of "The Paths for all Partnership". The Partnership's long term vision is: A Scotland of active communities where each community has a network of paths on which people want, and are able, to use for recreation and everyday journeys. This will deliver health, community, sustainable transport and economic benefits for Scotland.

Areas

Health, Training

Effectiveness

The project specifically targets clients with mental health issues and it offers an inclusive service to clients with mental health issues. The project has developed referral pathways from Occupational Therapists and Community Psychiatric Nurses. The project promotes positive mental health. This is achieved by encouraging social networks within groups and creating a supportive environment, as well as the "feel-good factor" associated with physical activity.

In terms of cost benefit analysis, the cost to the service user is nil, the benefits are extensive. As a project, the running costs are minimal due to the community volunteer model used.

Sustainability

The aim is to help individuals, often through a transition in life (retirement, bereavement, new parents etc.) A mixture of physical activity and social interaction in led walking groups proves to be an effective mechanism in supporting individuals. Often people move away from the group to be more independent or they stay with the group to sustain new relationships. We see that people often tap into other services available locally as a result of them building knowledge and confidence.

The people centred approach means that local projects adapt to changing needs. As new opportunities arise, e.g. developing links with a post natal depression group, the project leaders adjust their plans to include new programmes to suit needs. The strength of this project is the volunteers. As walkers become more confident, many are recruited as volunteers and go on to get paid employment. In order to support the local projects, there are two regional offices (Alloa and Inverness) with eight paid staff. These staff manage a grants budget, evaluation support, training and project development.

Given the cost of ill-health in Scotland and the fact that physical inactivity is the "silent ticking time bomb" the Paths to Health project represents good value for money. In Glasgow alone, over 4000 walkers attend led health walks in city parks.

Innovation

People with mental health issues who use this service believe that it is innovative in its simplicity. Getting people active in their own communities in a supportive environment is effective. For groups solely targeted at people with mental health issues, it has proven that "walking and talking" is more effective and productive than traditional group scenarios. The opportunities for people to take ownership of their local projects, by volunteering or steering the project are also innovation and rewarding for all.

For projects which are not targeted at mental health clients, the integration has proved to be rewarding for mental health clients. They can attend a group without having to explain their reasons for being there and they can build new relationships in a supportive environment.

Added Value

The project work makes a significant impact on the service users and the partnerships involved in making projects happen locally. Many non-health organisations have joined partnerships across Scotland and have successfully adapted the way they work to contribute to the health agenda e.g. Local Transport Officers from local authorities work through partnerships to improve the walking environment, small charitable organisations have improved relationships with community planning systems through their experiences on health walk partnerships.The project aligns with a number of policy sectors in Scotland:

  • Social justice (Closing the Opportunity Gap)
  • The Access agenda (Land Reform Act)
  • Let's Make Scotland More Active A Strategy for Physical Activity (Scottish Executive 2003)
  • The National Strategy for Mental Health and Wellbeing
  • The Scottish Executive Volunteering Strategy
  • The National Standards for Community Engagement (2005)

Transferability

The original idea for "health walks" in the UK came from the sister project "Walking the Way to Health" in England. Valuable lessons were gained from their experiences and adapted the model for Scotland. Unique characteristics have been developed in the present project and expanded beyond initial expectations in terms of the size of the project and its impacts. Each locally funded project in turn has a unique set of attributes, partners, funding mechanisms, but the thread that brings them all together is the health walk message and the core role of volunteers.

All volunteers are trained by accredited trainers, using the same materials across Scotland.

Mainstreaming Potential

Walking as a form of physical activity is increasing its profile in Scotland. It is a strong element of national transport strategies, national physical activity strategies and local physical activity strategies. A new "Walking Action Framework" hopes to build on this recent growth and encourage effective collaborations across a number of sectors.

Costs of the Project

Paths to Health costs: A local 3 year project costs on average 70000 (included a full-time post and volunteer expenses)

The national support office costs include:

  • Project Manager,
  • 6 FTE Development Officer posts,
  • 2 FTE Administrator posts,
  • Grants budget (varies from year to year but approximately 150000 per year),
  • Project related costs, e.g. pedometer projects,
  • Training budgets.

People involved in the Project (number of people and profession)

Local level projects:

  • Over 1700 trained volunteers
  • around 30 Coordinator posts (range of professions) and their respective line managers
  • 30 partnerships (with at least four organisational representatives per partnership from Access, transport, health etc)

National support office:

  • Project Manager
  • 6 FTE Development Officer posts
  • 2 FTE Administrator Posts

Paths to Health Advisory Panel:

  • Eight voluntary representatives from statutory and voluntary bodies

Strengths and Weaknesses of the Project

Strengths:

  • Cost effective
  • Large scale/ locally relevant and sustainable
  • Volunteer model
  • Building effective partnerships
  • Improving evaluation
  • Building communities

Weaknesses:

  • In some cases, funding (post grant) is a barrier.

Contact Person for the Project

Kenny Steele (Project Manager)
http://www.pathsforall.org.uk/pathstohealth/