New government measure to boost access to healthcare, improve quality of life for people in the city and reduce social and healthcare inequalities in the city. The measure contemplates the expansion of the Barcelona Neighbourhood Health (BSaB) to 11 new areas and comes with improvements to Primary and Community Healthcare centres (APiC).

The “Government Measure on Primary and Community Healthcare in Barcelona 2024-2030″ is based around four goals:

• Expansion of the BSaB community healthcare programme.
• Better access to resources and activities in the neighbourhoods through pre-registration.
• Art and creativity as tools for improving health for the elderly.
• Boosting measures to improve mental health.

Barcelona Neighbourhood Health

Coordinated by the Barcelona Public Health Agency (ASPB), this programme was launched in 2017 and currently covers 26 city neighbourhoods. The measure aims to gradually increase this number between the years 2025 and 2030, reaching an additional 11 neighbourhoods: Vilapicina i la Torre Llobeta, Hostafrancs, La Clota, Camp de l’Arpa, El Clot, Montbau, Porta, Sant Antoni, Can Baró, Parc i la Llacuna del Poblenou and Provençals del Poblenou

Activity developed as part of the Barcelona Neighbourhood Health programme aims to generate healthy opportunities with the community, such as leisure activities for families, health programmes at schools, first pre-work experiences, the promotion of sexual and affective health and working groups to drive and coordinate community projects.

Physical activity to improve health and well-being

Primary support teams have a social function that enables them to offer alternatives to medication to treat health issues through community activities. In this respect, a project is being prepared to foster physical activity as a basic tool for improving health through sport.

The measure will enable a coordinated network to be set up between healthcare and municipal sports centres, opening up possibilities for physical activity among those referred from healthcare centres. The project should start operating in 2025.

Art and creation to improve the health of the elderly

The ArtGran programme offers elderly people activities linked to art and workshops at six museums and cultural centres in the city. The results of the pilot project, involving 63 people aged over 70, show that those who took part are happier and have a greater capacity for daily activities. The feeling of loneliness is also reduced compared to those who didn’t take part.

The new measure includes a proposal to include ArtGran in a further 15 city neighbourhoods, enabling nearly 150,000 elderly people to benefit. The neighbourhoods are: El Coll, La Salut, La Ribera, Fort Pienc, Poble-sec, Hostafrancs, La Bordeta, Guinardó, Vilapicina, La Sagrera, La Clota, Porta, La Verneda, Sant Martí de Provençals and Vallbona.

Improving mental health in populations at risk of social exclusion

Community projects prioritising the prevention of addictive behaviour and substances will be improved and expanded through the Plan on Drugs and Addictions in Barcelona, as well as the Contracorrent programme to prevent the consumption of tobaccos, alcohol and cannabis among the teenage population, and Cara i Creu, to prevent gambling among students in their fourth year of secondary school.

Another priority for the new measure is to address the growing psychological distress among the population of Barcelona. Because of this, the idea is to promote a programme of initial mental health support, with training for professionals from public help and information services, the goal being to improve and strengthen social support networks in the community.