Embedding physical activity into the health and wellbeing eco-system
Buckinghamshire Public Health have commissioned Active In the Community CIC (AITC) to launch a new referral pathway to support adults over 50 and living with a long term condition to increase their physical activity levels.
AITC will work with stakeholders across the county, including NHS and Integrated Care Board (ICB) colleagues, Age UK Buckinghamshire, leisure providers and activity instructors to deliver this referral pathway.
The project aims to use physical activity to improve residents’ physical and mental health and limit deconditioning and frailty and aims to support 3,000 adults over the next 3 years.
At Leap we’ll be working to help mobilise this service, creating connections with the health and care system, supporting the training of health care professionals to have conversations about physical activity and helping to ensure appropriate physical activity opportunities are listed on the activity marketplace, Joy.
Chris Gregory, Head of Strategic Relationships at Leap, said of the new pathway
“The Move Together Pathway is an exciting new service that will connect the health and social care sector with community movement and activity providers. Providing patients with dedicated behavior change support for residents living within our least active areas of Bucks.”
AITC are currently seeking Physical Activity Referral Specialist Level 3 (PARS) to be part of their Physical Activity Referral Service in Buckinghamshire. The successful candidate will conduct initial assessments, plan, prescribe, implement and monitor a suitable exercise programme for individuals referred through the pathway. Click here to view more about this vacancy.
You can find out more about the Referral Pathway by clicking here – Active In The Community
Why physical activity for people living with LTHCs?
Research from the We are undefeatable campaign shows that:
- Almost everyone knows it’s key for people with Long Term Health Conditions (LTHCs) to be physically active. That includes people with the condition/s themselves, their family and carers, health and social care professionals, Government, sport and physical activity professionals and the charities that support people with LTHCs.
- The NHS is the starting point for trusted advice, but that lifestyle change takes more support that a one off encounter.
- The top three barriers to movement for people living with LTHCs are pain, lack of energy and physical limitations.
- There is a mismatch between lived experiences and the perspectives from the system – called The Empathy Gap.
