Movement and physical activity play a central role in supporting people and communities to live well, and we all have a role to play in creating the conditions for people to move more.
Embedding movement into health and care
To do this, we need movement to be embedded into every aspect of our life, and this is particularly important in our health and social care settings. In the UK, physical inactivity is the fourth greatest cause of ill health, and with medical staff having some of the closest interactions with those most likely to be inactive, we need hospitals to be places where everyday movement is prioritised.
Active Hospitals
The Active Hospitals programme is a national initiative to change the culture of hospitals to encourage patients and staff to move more. Across Greater Manchester we are seeing more hospital trusts make commitments and take decisive action towards this ambition.
We know that inactivity in children is more likely to result in inactivity in adults. With this in mind, Manchester Foundation Trust (MFT) are ensuring the commitment to enabling physical activity is met right across the life course. For children and young people (CYP), spending extensive periods of time in hospital can negatively impact their mental health and wellbeing. However, having movement and play embedded on the ward can reduce anxiety and support recovery.
Achieving this in hospitals is challenging, but by partnering with existing initiatives and supporting staff to become advocates for movement, MFT are helping to shift the conditions for children in hospital.
Getting active at Manchester Children’s Hospital
In Greater Manchester, we’re seeing our partners embedding movement in creative and effective ways. At Manchester Children’s Hospital, Ward 86 is has worked closely with the hospital’s school to find ways for children to be active every day without the need for a PE teacher or Occupational Therapist (OT) being involved.
The ward knew that the Daily Mile is a format familiar to many children. The staff decided to become the first ward in the UK to reach out to the Daily Mile and create an inclusive format that could be delivered on the ward. Children walk, wheel, scoot and use assistance to complete 15 laps of the ward making movement a normal part of life in hospital.
Manchester Royal Children’s Hospital have also shown how other initiatives such as the London Marathon Foundations, Mini London Marathon Challenge can be adopted and made inclusive and accessible to children in hospital. In Greater Manchester, 70 educational settings have been involved, with over 15,000 children and young people taking part across the city region, and this now includes children attending hospital schools. Partnerships with sports organisations like City in the Community (CITC) are also supporting children and their families to stay active. This is through creating opportunities to play, receive mentoring and family hubs to support the youngest patients, and by bringing together mental health support and physical activity. These are fantastic steps forward on the journey to ensuring every child and young person in the region has the opportunity to be active.
The importance of movement champions
To make all of this possible, we need staff who are advocates for the key role that physical activity should play in everyday life on the ward.
Across MFT, Clinical Groups are responsible for ensuring local implementation of the Active Hospital approach. Each Clinical Group has identified Active Hospital Champions and have initiated monthly network meetings and established communities of practice. Additionally, 329 members of staff across MFT have completed the Physical Activity Clinical Champions (PACC) training. This is equipping healthcare staff with the skills and knowledge to be able to incorporate physical activity into routine care, which is a core strand of the NHS Four Ways Forward strategy to harness the impact of physical activity in our health system.
Unlocking our potential in Greater Manchester
It is great to see our city region making strides towards integrating movement and physical activity into health and social care. Hospitals play a huge role in this, and provide key opportunities to tackle health inequalities.
We’re thrilled to see the Active Hospitals framework helping to unlock this potential for Greater Manchester.
