Reading Whole Systems Approach to Healthy Weight Strategy Initial Implementation Plan (2026-2028)
1. Executive framework and strategic alignment
This master framework consolidates all high-priority action lines for the first two years of the Reading Healthy Weight Strategy execution. Following multi-agency stakeholder workshops and engagement, actions have been organised to clearly show who is responsible for delivery and how they will be coordinated including any cross-departmental integration.
Resource requirements are indicative and reflect current expectations based on existing resources, partner contributions, and potential external funding opportunities. These will be refined as delivery progresses.
2. Category A: Confirmed and internal management actions
The actions shown below are execution over the upcoming two years. These elements fall under the direct mandate, leadership, or active operational influence of the internal Reading Borough Council teams or have received partnership prioritization and agreement for delivery.
| Strategic theme | What are we doing? | Expected outcomes? | Timeline | Lead partners (named owner) | Resource requirements / commitment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Food | Apply healthy food and drink guidelines in schools and early years settings. | Production and availability of healthier foods within early years and schools settings. | Medium term (12 – 24months) | RBC / Education Services (including SEND and Virtual School) | Existing resources within Education Services and Public Health; alignment with existing school food standards and commissioning.Explore funded 1 FTE role via. Public Health Grant |
| Food | Co-develop Community Eatwell, and Eat and Learn programmes for schools, families, and community groups | Programme developed to meet communities needs and convey targeted core messaging linked to healthy eating. | Medium term (12 – 24months) | RBC / Education Services (including SEND and Virtual School) | Public Health Grant (existing prevention programmes); potential VCS partner delivery (in-kind). |
| Internal (RBC) / System | Develop a structured engagement plan for stakeholders, representative organisations of children and young people to support development and delivery of strategy and implementation plan. | Greater understanding of and insight to address challenges and support engagement with children and young people, as well as their families. | Short term (6-12 months) | Public Health Team | Existing Public Health resource; officer time and reprioritisation |
| Weight / Lifestyle Management | Through existing community co-production groups, facilitate community participation to inform service design, understand nuances in audience insights, and identify enablers, needs of specific groups. | Commissioned services and projects are developed collaboratively with communities, leading to increased engagement and impacts for the people they seek to support. | Medium term (12 – 24months) | Integrated Healthy Lifestyle Service / Public Health and Wellbeing | Public Health Grant (commissioned services); VCS partners |
| Built Environment | Collaborate with transport and planning teams to expand safe, connected walking and cycling networks with improved lighting, crossings, cycle parking and play parks. | Refer to Public Realm Strategy (for Town Centre) and Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan (LCWIP) / Section 106 contributions for suburban areas. | Long term (2 years+) | Planning and Transport | Capital programmes (LCWIP, S106,Transport budgets); external funding dependencies (TBC) |
| Process / Operations | Standardise maternal obesity pathways: targeted referrals for expectant mothers (BMI 30+) to LiveWell StayWell. | Reduced risk of high birth weight and improved maternal health outcomes. | Medium term (12 – 24months) | Maternity Lead / BHT/ Maternity Services | NHS resource (existing pathway delivery) and Public Health support for coordination |
| Internal (RBC) | Developing pathways for complex obesity and bariatric needs for people who need additional interventions to manage their weight. | Regularly exchange updates, recommendations, and actions at the Reading Obesity Project Group; identify and align activities. | Long term (2 years+) | Reading Obesity Project Board / Communities & Adult Social Care | Existing system resource; NHS led pathway development; no new funding identified |
| Built Environment | Activate open spaces within communities to support the delivery of physical activity such cycle paths, parks and play areas. | Increased number of people being active in local environment. | Short term (6-12 months) | Planning Team | Existing RBC infrastructure budgets; potential external funding opportunities |
| Internal (RBC) | Early years workforce training (including food hygiene, safety and wider healthy weight themes). | A frontline workforce equipped to provide healthy balanced food and handle nutrition safely in early settings. | Medium term (12 – 24months) | New Directions College / Early Years and Childcare | Existing workforce training budgets; Public Health support for content development |
| Internal (RBC) | Ensure communications and briefings for Councillors, senior leaders and staff to show their role in supporting healthy weight. | Reading Borough Council have a clear understanding on how their work impact on healthy weight. | Medium term (12 – 24months) | Public Health Team | Existing communications resource; no additional funding required |
| Weight / Lifestyle Management | Integrate Full Making Every Contact Count Training Programme into Healthy Lifestyle Service in Action. (Currently partially delivered) e.g., developing standard operating practice models for health, social care, carers, community workers and other key stakeholders. Basics of eating well, physical activity and healthy weight, oral health improvement. | Increased understanding, confidence and skills in behaviour change delivery. | Medium term (12 – 24months) | Public Health Team/Integrated Healthy Lifestyle Service (IHLS) | PH Grant and part of IHLS offer (training/programm e delivery) |
| Internal (RBC) | Explore feasibility of public health commissioning that other RBC departments could deliver. e.g., Identifying opportunities for other teams to delivery on public health outcomes. | Wider support for Public Health activation across different teams, bring to life Health in All Policies as an approach. | Medium term (12 – 24months) | Public Health Team | Officer time; existing Public Health commissioning budgets.Part-time Planning Officer Secondment funded via Public Health Grant |
| Process / Operations | Develop and agree a ‘system working charter’ to support partnership working and shared accountability across organisations. | Galvanising relationships across the system towards a common goal. Clarity on roles within local system. | Medium term (12 – 24months) | Public Health Team | Existing resource; partnership contribution (in-kind) |
| Process / Operations | Complete an audit of all existing collaborative groups. | To understand existing sub structures to support refreshing the network connections to support the delivery of the Healthy Weight Strategy and Implementation plan. | Short term (6-12 months) | Public Health Team | Existing resource; officer time |
| Commercial Determinants | Identify key partnerships with local food businesses and producers to inform a local action. | Visibility of key stakeholders linked to Medium Enterprise food producing and selling organisations. | Medium term (12 – 24months) | University of Reading/ChangeBox (TBC) / Reading Food Partnership | Partner-led activity; PH Officers, University of Reading, some in-kind contribution |
| Oral Health | Work with the Oral Health Improvement Board to ensure the Oral Health Improvement Strategy and Whole Systems Approach to Healthy Weight Strategy 2026-2036 are aligned. | Regularly exchange updates, recommendations, and actions at the Oral Health Improvement Board. | Long term (2 years+) | Oral Health Improvement Board | Existing governance structures |
| Physical activity | Work with the Physical Activity Alliance Group to ensure the Physical Activity Action Plan and Whole Systems Approach to Healthy Weight Strategy 2026-2036 are aligned. | Regularly exchange updates, recommendations, and actions at the Physical Activity Alliance Group. | Long term (2 years+) | Physical Activity Alliance Group (PAAG) | Existing partnership resource |
| Food | Work with the Reading Food Partnership to ensure the Reading Food Action Plan and Whole Systems Approach to Healthy Weight Strategy 2026-2036 are aligned. | Regularly exchange updates, recommendations, and actions at the Reading Food Partnership. | Long term (2 years+) | Community Food Project Officer / Reading Food Partnership (RFP) | Existing partnership resource |
| Process / Operations | Facilitate partnership working with voluntary sector organisations, business, ensuring co-designed with partners. | Co-developed plan in place that is considerate of commercial (factors such as availability, cost, and marketing of food) and social determinants. | Medium term (12 – 24months) | Public Health Team | VCS in-kind and Public Health coordination |
| Commercial / Policy | Establish operational bridging mechanism with local licensing authorities to evaluate fast food outlet approvals, promotions, and street trading practices near vulnerable hubs. | Co-designed fast food licensing frameworks; minimization of harmful commercial determinants (factors such as availability, cost, and marketing of food) and environments that make unhealth choices easier.Formally establish operational mapping of the proliferation of hot food takeaway clusters and establishing shared micro-environment metrics. | Short term (6-12 months) | Licensing/Strategic Planning / Public Health Team | Existing regulatory functions and Public Health input |
3. Category B: Cross-system, partnership and community-led actions
The following interventions use the capacity of broader system partners across Reading, third-sector frameworks, or county-wide physical alliances to distribute operational weight evenly across the whole local public sector ecosystem.
| Strategic theme | What are we doing? | Expected outcomes? | Timeline | Lead partners (named owner) | Notes / opportunities | Resource requirements / commitment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Food | Support the growth of local food networks and community health champions. | A trained and supported workforce is in place to promote positive messaging about healthy eating within communities. | Medium term (12-24months) | Reading Food Partnership | Public Health Team through Systems Leadership Framework. | Supported through existing partner programmes |
| Physical activity | Appoint senior Physical Activity Champions with a role to promote and co-develop community and workplace physical activity. | Increased intelligence from within communities, facilitated through improved and proactive promotion and support. | Long term (2 years+) | Physical Activity Alliance Group | Explore structural learning and synergies through the ACRE community champion model. | Supported through existing partner programmes e.g., Place Universal Offer with Public Health support (officer time) |
| Weight / Lifestyle Management | Co-develop tiered weight management provision. Increase choice in Tier 2 and Tier 3 with Thames Valley ICB. | Clear and co-efficient pathway in place, enabling signposting and referral to appropriate level of support. | Long term (2 years+) | Public Health Practitioner / Thames Valley ICB | Focuses heavily on regional NHS clinical integration mapping. | Supported through existing partner programmes with Public Health support (officer time) |
| Weight / Lifestyle Management | Embedding physical activity within health pathways (including social prescribing, and long-term health conditions). | Individuals with long term health conditions can access appropriate activity options. | Long term (2 years+) | Get Berkshire Active (GBA) / VCS | Linking health practitioners directly to verified neighbourhood physical providers. | Existing partnerships with Get Berkshire Active (GBA) and VCS |
| Commercial Determinants | Explore development of a plan with local food producers to support the provision of available healthy food options that are available. | Improved food security through the increased provision and choice of healthy food options. | Long term (2 years+) | University of Reading / Reading Food Partnership | Leverages University of Reading’s research capacity and localized production loops. | Partner-led activity; PH Officers, University of Reading, some in-kind contribution |
| Process / Operations | Create and maintain a diary of networking opportunities for system partners to engage with. (Online & F-2F). | Maintained awareness of opportunities to collaborate, and improved relationships between partners. | Medium term (12 – 24months) | PAAG/Place Universal Offer / Get Berkshire Active (GBA) | Provides regular baseline communications framework for the broader WSO network. | Supported through existing partner programmes |
| Built Environment | Consult with local communities and school leaders to explore interest and opportunities to activate spaces for activity with local communities. | Improved access to available venues to support activation. Enhanced engagement potential. | Short term (6-12months) | RBC / GBA /Education Services | Feeds directly into Active Travel and suburban green infrastructure design projects. | Delivered through the funded Place Universal Offer Systems Leadership Programme with Public Health support |
| Physical Activity | Utilise place-based investment opportunities to develop a programme of affordable, equitable and inclusive interventions. | Increased physical activity provision and access to support for people within local communities. | Ongoing | GBA Place Universal Offer/ Public Health Team/PAAG/Int egrated Healthy Lifestyle Service | Linked explicitly to high unmet need geographical clusters inside Reading. | Supported through existing commissioned programmes e.g., Integrated Healthy Lifestyle Service and Place Universal Offer (Targeted) |
| Physical activity | Continue work undertaken by the Physical Activity Alliance Group to create a heat map provision, identify gaps and target placement of provision and support. | Live directory of activation sites and opportunities, with potential to support development of digital directory. | Medium term (12 – 24months) | Physical Activity Alliance Group (PAAG)/Public Health | Essential data tracking tool for strategic capital placement applications. | Existing internal RBC officer resource.Alternatively, fixed term contract to develop mapping. |
| Process / Operations | Create a ‘what works’ system leaders community of practice and learning. | Portfolio leaders share learning and approaches, reduce duplication and develop common practices. | Medium term (12 – 24months) | Get Berkshire Active – Place Universal Officer (PUO) | GBA have capacity to support via Place work. Learning shared from Readifood projects | Delivery through the funded Place Universal Offer Systems Leadership Programme with Public Health support |
| Physical activity | Work with physical activity, education and professionals to provide training and support to increase inclusive practice. | More opportunities provided for disabled people. | Medium term (12 – 24months) | Get Berkshire Active | Requires initiating a formal technical audit of local physical access restrictions. | Delivery through existing commissioned programmes to expand reach. |
| Internal (RBC) | Procure and develop a system leadership training programme to support the governance approaches for the strategy. | System leaders hold the skills and confidence to fulfil their role effectively, with additional capacity and capability. | Medium term (12 – 24months) | Get Berkshire Active | Tied directly to registration numbers, multi-agency attendance, and confidence indices. | Delivery through the funded Place Universal Offer Systems Leadership Programme with Public Health support |
| Physical activity | Engage with CIMSPA Workforce Skills hubs to understand physical activity workforce skills and requirements and explore available opportunities through National Academy. | Increased awareness of existing / planned education and skills training available to sector professionals. | Short term (6-12months) | Get Berkshire Active | Review baseline documentation; localized activation thresholds may dynamically vary. | Supported through existing partnerships e.g., Get Berkshire Active |
| Process / Operations | Explore development of a campaign/initiative/toolkit aimed at Small and Medium sized Enterprises (SME)’s to promote healthy behaviours in the workplace. | Consistent messaging being shared, supporting increase confidence in supporting a healthy weight/ lifestyle narrative across Reading – supported by businesses. | Medium term (12 – 24months) | TBC: Connect Reading / REDA/ RBC | Focuses heavily on structural engagement with localized enterprise networks. | Proposed funding via the Public Health Grant |
| Process / Operations | Offer specific health related human resource support/information to SME organisations, including practical tools. | Consistent messaging being shared, supporting increase confidence in supporting a healthy weight/ lifestyle narrative across Reading – supported by businesses. | Long term (2 years+) | TBC: Connect Reading / REDA/ Public Health Team | Extends preventative healthcare tools beyond typical public authority boundaries. | Partner-led delivery with in-kind contribution; no additional funding identified at this stage |
| Internal (RBC) | Co-developed community-based learning offers that support families around nutrition, physical activity and healthy lifestyles. | Broadened community support networks delivering jointly executed community-based education packages equipping families with baseline cooking, meal planning, physical activity and lifestyle skills. | Medium term (12 – 24months) | VCS/New Directions College | Conditional upon administrative confirmation of funding. | Proposed funding via the Public Health Grant |
| Internal (RBC) / System | Develop criteria for a ‘register of trusted community organisations’ to support the development and delivery of interventions, & engagement with people with lived experience. | Diversification of organisations linking with the Council to support delivery. | Medium term (12 – 24months) | RVA (Reading Voluntary Action) | Direct academic-voluntary crosslink established with University of Reading. | Partner-led delivery with in-kind contribution and Public Health coordination; no additional funding identified at this stage |
4. Category C: Conditional and grant dependent initiatives
These targeted programs remain contingent upon administrative sign-off and drawdowns from funding stream opportunities.
| Strategic theme | What are we doing? | Expected outcomes? | Timeline | Lead partners (named owner) | Notes / opportunities | Resource requirements / commitment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weight / Lifestyle Management | Collaborate with community networks to develop a ‘Reading-centric’ healthy lifestyle campaign with audience sensitised resources. | Residents feel more confident in where, how and what to do to incorporate a healthier lifestyle. | Long term (2 years+) | Integrated Healthy Lifestyle Service / Public Health Team | Requires localized qualitative mapping of language/access needs at ward level. | External funding required; subject to PH Grant prioritisation or external funding bids. |
| Weight / Lifestyle Management | Explore feasibility of Education on Healthy Living (Better Adult Weight Management Course and cookery education) delivered in collaboration with community partners e.g., Food Banks, voluntary hubs. | Broadened neighbourhood safety nets providing neighbourhood level, culturally sensitized dietary and lifestyle interventions within high-need are. | Medium term (12 – 24months) | Better –GLL/VCSpartners/Food Banks/RVA | WSA PH Funding Dependent. Execution aligned with third sector voluntary hubs. | External funding required; subject to PH Grant prioritisation or external funding bids. |
| Commercial Determinants / Food Environment | Healthy Takeaway Improvement Scheme (HTIS): Targeted Support for High-Need Food Businesses | To improve the nutritional quality, hygiene, and health offer of takeaway food in deprived areas of Reading by working intensively with businesses rated Food Hygiene Rating Scheme (FHRS) 3 or below. | Medium term (12 – 24months) | Public Health and Environmental Health | Aligned with PHE healthier catering toolkit approaches Encouraging healthier out of home food provision toolkit AnnexesSmall grants for:Equipment (e.g. grills, air fryers)Healthier ingredientsMenu redesign/printingSubsidised or free FHRS re-inspection. | Public Health |
| Weight / Lifestyle Management | Develop a Tier 2 children’s weight management provision. | Clear and co-efficient pathway in place, enabling signposting and referral to appropriate level of support. | Long term (2 years+) | Public Health and Wellbeing | Vital clinical pathway connection for school-age demographics. | Public Health Grant |
| Weight / Lifestyle Management / Built Environment | Implement a Healthy Schools Programme (targeted pilot implementation) | To strengthen universal prevention, food and physical activity environments, and family engagement in priority schools and in areas of high need. | Medium term (12 – 24months) | Public Health and Wellbeing / Schools & early years | Alignment with NCMP identification and referral pathways. Culturally appropriate, trauma-informed programme design. Family and equity focused support, through geographic and population prioritisation | Public Health officer time. School. Small-scale support for priority schools (training, resources, coordination) funded via Public Health Grant |
Last updated on 04/08/2026
Reading Whole Systems Approach to Healthy Weight Strategy Initial Implementation Plan (2026-2028)