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ISSUES: Fitness & Health
Chapter 3: Tackling physical inactivity
piloted in the UK, and it is something we should consider on a
nationwide basis.”
Steven Ward, ukactive Executive Director, said: “Britain is in the
grip of a cradle to grave physical inactivity crisis and the great
outdoors is a fantastic gateway for getting people moving again.
“Physical activity has been hailed as a miracle cure which can
help to treat and prevent more than 20 lifestyle-related diseases
and if GPs were to prescribe this it would bring huge benefits to
people’s physical andmental health.
“As ukactive has seenwith our targeted intervention programme
Let's Get Moving, empowering at-risk patients to take part in
regular physical activity transforms lives and offers a potent
antidote to our growing health crisis.”
Case studies
Dartmoor and Exmoor National Park Authorities
Green prescription-type pilots have been trialled in Devon and
Somerset. A three-year scheme is under way where GPs are
encouraging patients to visit the national parks as part of their
treatment or as an alternative to medication. Surgeries provide
Walking for Health Packs to promote walking in the outdoors.
If successful, the scheme could be rolled out to national parks
elsewhere.
Ö
national-parks-instead/story-25260536-detail/story.html
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attachment_data/file/509916/national-parks-8-point-plan-
for-england-2016-to-2020.pdf
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vi-walkingforhealth
Dorset
Weymouth and Portland Borough Council is part of the Natural
Choices group which runs activities for GPs to refer patients to.
These include walks, conservation work, gardening and sailing.
The programme is part of Live Well Dorset, commissioned by
Public Health Dorset (
choices).
Liverpool
Liverpool City Council and Liverpool Clinical Commissioning
Group are delivering a £2.9 million Liverpool Active City Strategy
which includes GP referral schemes and activities in parks to
tackle obesity and improve people’s health and well being
-
city-pas-strategy.pdf).
East Riding
East Riding of Yorkshire Council has developed an IT system
which connects GPs with leisure centres so they can book
patients directly on to an exercise-on-referral scheme. Patients
are met by a trainer who is able to tailor a programme to suit
the individual (
-
centre/health/live-well/).
Notes to editors
Ö
Just what the doctor ordered. Social prescribing – a guide for
local authorities:
•
documents/10180/7632544/L16-108+Just+what
+the+doctor+ordered+-+social+prescribing+-
+a+guide+to+local+authorities/f68612fc-0f86-
4d25-aa23-56f4af33671d.
Ö
BritishMedical Journal
research on green prescriptions:
•
health-wellness/physical-activity/green-
prescriptions.
Ö
Statistics show that one in four women and one in five men
in England are physically inactive, doing less than 30minutes
moderate physical activity a week, and well below the
recommended 150 minutes of moderate physical activity a
week recommended by the UK Chief Medical Officers.
Ö
Natural England says that for every £1 spent on healthy
walking schemes, the NHS could save £7.18 in the cost
of treating conditions such as heart disease, stroke and
diabetes.
5 September 2016
Ö
The above information is reprinted with kind permission
from the Local Government Association. Please visit www.
local.gov.uk for further information.
© Local Government Association 2017
