Working in partnership with The Beacon Project, a community health-based organisation, with funding from the London Borough of Lambeth Public Health team and Impact on Urban Health, we have launched a 12-month pilot of fruit and veg on prescription in Lambeth.
Eligible residents will be from households on low incomes and who are at risk of, or have, high blood pressure.
Each person prescribed Rose Vouchers will receive £8 per week in vouchers, plus £2 per week for each household member. Participants can spend their Rose Vouchers on the fruit and veg of their choice.
Lambeth Public Health team are interested in testing this approach to see if it could provide a long-term solution to tackling diet-related ill health and food insecurity amongst some of Lambeth’s most vulnerable communities.
This project uses a community health approach, with the delivery of the project focused on coming to where the community are rather than asking them to visit a traditional health practice.
The Beacon Project works predominantly with the Black African and Caribbean communities in Lambeth. The organisation is Black-led and has been formed to address the health inequalities caused by the pandemic. The Beacon Project ethos is about building a relationship of trust with this community, where a lack of trust is often a key barrier to accessing health services. By partnering with the Beacon Project, we can test the concept of the efficacy of fruit & veg on prescription in a community that experiences some of the highest levels of health inequality.
The pilot will initially operate in West Norwood, where the Beacon Project outreach session is held. Participants in the pilot will be able to spend their Rose Vouchers at local retailers in West Norwood, Streatham and Brixton Market.