Active Travel – as highlighted in the CMO's Annual Report – supports our NHS through a more active NHS workforce and through more active residents with reduced need for health services.
It was great to see active travel given such prominence in the Chief Medical Officer’s annual report Health in Cities which was released just before Christmas.
If you missed it in the festive rush, there’s a short recap and links available here.
The final weeks of 2024 were busy for several reasons with GM Moving submitting evidence to the NHS 10-Year Plan and an APPG for Walking and Cycling enquiry.
And the link between these pieces of work is stronger than you might think – as Dr Jo Maher highlighted perfectly in the CMO report. She states:
“I have seen how active travel can have a significant role for people: both by moving more and reducing social isolation. Talking about being more active can make a real difference.
“At present opportunities are missed to change behaviour towards a more active lifestyle; awareness and understanding on health benefits of physical activity amongst health care practitioners is not universal.”
This is why you’ll often hear me and GM Moving colleagues say that everyone has a role to play. Inactivity is a complex issue and requires a cross-sector, whole-system approach.
Greater Manchester Moving believe physical activity must be embedded into every aspect of health and care across the life course and we’ve made this case to government.
Active Travel – as Dr Jo rightly highlights – can support this in a number of ways; through a more active NHS workforce as well as more active patients who require health services less often.
Conversations are a great starting point, which is why we support the rollout of Physical Activity Clinical Champions training and Better Conversations support for non-clinical staff.
We’re also working alongside the Royal College of GPs (RCGP) to support as many GP Practices to commit to the Active Practice charter. There’s a similar scheme for Active Hospitals too.
The support is there for the health and care system, and we’ll work with those focusing on walking and active environments to ensure the conditions are in place for active travel.
The GM ICP strategy talks explicitly about the social determinants, or building blocks, of good health and our environment, and moving around it freely, is a key factor.
We all have a role to play. Together, we can create a more active Greater Manchester.
Here's a strong example of GM Moving’s wider vision: creating positive movement experiences for everyone in Greater Manchester, rooted in community, equity, and joy.
Between July and September, Sport England is shining a spotlight on one of the five big issues in its Uniting the Movement strategy – a deeper exploration of ‘connecting communities’, and how place-based approaches can bring people together to get active in non-traditional settings and ways. This spotlight offers a timely opportunity to reflect on the work of GM Moving and its long-standing partnership with 10GM — a collaboration of Local Infrastructure Organisations (LIOs) that support Voluntary, Community, and Social Enterprise (VCSE) groups across Greater Manchester.
We’re thrilled to be part of one of the official Fan Zones in Piccadilly Gardens, bringing people together to celebrate across two exciting match weekends.