Physical activity in care – share your experiences
In your work are you signposting to physical activity for prevention, as part of a care package or for rehabilitation? Would you like to, but are not sure what there is? If so, Northamptonshire's Public Health teams are interested in your experience, views and ideas.
Wide-ranging evidence has shown that physical activity has both health promoting and disease prevention properties. Regular physical activity can have immediate and long-term health benefits, enhancing wellbeing, physical and mental health. It can prevent and treat disease and provide economic benefits to the individual and state. It can also substantially increase the disability-free lifespan and can improve quality of life, social connectedness and contribute to environmental sustainability.
A recent physical activity network meeting discussed the need for a cohesive, consistent physical activity pathway across Northamptonshire, where being active is seen as a key health intervention. There is a need to develop a new pathway for physical activity which sets out a clear and coherent range of universal and targeted opportunities for physical activity with unnecessary barriers to entry removed, ensuring that people can access provision that is right for them at the right time.
The vision is to offer a wide spectrum of physical activity opportunities for adult’s children and young people of every age, ability, disability and fitness level. However, health system improvements for signposting and prescribing are needed to encourage more people to be active every day; to offer physical activity as part of a range of health and wellbeing interventions; better utilising the infrastructure and network provision across the county for universal and specialist programmes.
Developing this will also highlight and make recommendations on the gaps and challenges.
From January to May 2023, Public Health are carrying out a review across primary and secondary care and physical activity providers across Northamptonshire, regarding what is already in place; what are people using; what could there be; where are the gaps; what are the challenges and from this work make recommendations into the system to shape a physical activity pathway for the lifecourse and a range of conditions.
To share your views and get involved in the review please contact Christopher Normington by emailing christopher.normington@westnorthants.gov.uk