Tag: Movement for Health

New partnership will see Scots encouraged to move more

Movement for Health coalition advocates physical activity resource to improve nation’s health

A COALITION of 19 leading health charities have endorsed a resource that will help healthcare professionals integrate physical activity conversations into routine clinical care.

Movement for Health (MFH) – a group of charities including SAMH, Age Scotland, and Paths for All – is working with the Faculty of Sport and Exercise Medicine UK (FSEM) to advocate for use of its Moving Medicine resource which provides health care professionals with the knowledge, skills and confidence to talk to patients about physical activity.

The web resource draws on both clinical and patient experience to create behaviour change for people living with long term conditions. It is free to access and already widely used across England.

MFH has endorsed the resource in the hope it can help improve the resilience of Scotland’s people, communities and NHS while directly aligning to its key aim of making it easier for people with a long term health condition to be more active.

Dr Emma Lunan, Chair of Movement for Health, said: “It’s quite simple – Scotland needs to move more to boost the nation’s health and happiness. 

“As a coalition of charities, we are always eager to engage with initiatives supporting and promoting life changing physical activity. It can be transformative for many with long-term conditions.

“Receiving further expertise and resource from Moving Medicine is extremely welcomed and will prove a vital tool post-pandemic to improve the physical, social and mental health of the country.

“MFH exists to promote physical activity for the prevention and management of long term conditions and has been at the forefront championing a way forward for the past four years.

“The Moving Medicine web tool has already had success in paving the way for healthcare professionals to feel confident and have better conversations around physical activity and ultimately make referrals for exercise.

“We encourage those who work within a healthcare setting to seek out and use this resource as it can play such an important role in supporting those with Long Term Conditions to become more active.

“This has never been more important so we are delighted to be working together.”

The CMOs’* Physical Activity Guidelines state that for good physical and mental health, adults should aim to be physically active every day. This can be anything from a short walk to the shop or a 30-minute session in the gym – any activity is better than none alongside reducing sedentary behaviour.

Moving Medicine is led by the Faculty of Sport and Exercise Medicine UK (FSEM), delivered in partnership with the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities, Sport England and the National Lottery – with the aim of improving physical activity conversations across healthcare and support the routine delivery of physical activity for all.

The resource was developed in Scotland through a partnership between FSEM, Sportscotland and Public Health Scotland. This partnership also included the development of the resources for children and young people.

Dr Natasha Jones, FSEM President and Clinical Director of Moving Medicine, said: “The Movement for Health coalition brings together charities and organisations that share FSEM’s vision of improving the health of the nation through physical activity.

“We are delighted to be working with the coalition to help us spread the word and encourage everyone in healthcare to have better conversations about physical activity”

Moving Medicine has worked with more than 2,000 clinicians, academics and patient experts to design the resource for a wide range of conditions and life stages, such as cancer, diabetes, pregnancy, and menopause.

In total, Moving Medicine offers resources covering 21 adult conditions and life stages, 6 childhood conditions and 6 conditions affecting young people. These paediatric resources were jointly co-funded Public Health Scotland and sportscotland.

Flora Jackson, Health Improvement Manager at Public Health Scotland, said: “We’re pleased to continue to work with Paths for All to support the Movement for Health Coalition and welcome their voice, providing leadership and advocacy for physical activity and long-term conditions.  

“Moving Medicine provides a simple guide on how to raise the issue of physical activity in as little as 30 seconds and we echo the call for more health professionals to do so.”

Regular physical activity provides a range of physical and mental health and social benefits, including: reducing the risk of many long-term conditions, helping manage existing conditions, ensuring good musculoskeletal health, developing and maintaining physical and mental function and independence, supporting social inclusion, helping maintain a healthy weight and reducing inequalities for people with long-term condition.

For more information on Movement for Health, visit: 

https://www.movementforhealth.scot/

Further information on Moving Medicine can be found here: 

www.scotland.movingmedicine.ac.uk

Physical activity key to social prescribing model approach

New paper calls on leadership and policy to deliver significant change

SIXTY leading health specialists and politicians have joined calls for an overhaul to Scotland’s approach to social prescribing – with an urgent need to step up physical activity interventions.

Movement for Health (MFH) – a coalition of charities that includes SAMH, Age Scotland, and Paths for All – brought together professionals to understand the importance of supporting people to engage in physical activity and interventions through social prescribing models, revealing the findings in a new paper.

Social prescribing which typically sees GP practices and health services connect people to activities, groups and services has been embraced in certain areas of Scotland, with uptake varying considerably by region.

A key MFH recommendation is to create better community links and remove the assumption that social prescribing is a medical approach. This should in turn reduce reliance on other services and people seeing GPs about social issues. However, it’s not a simple change as many people have a trusting relationship with their GPs and is a safe go to when they don’t know where to turn.

Dr Emma Lunan, Chair of Movement for Health, said: “Scotland has a health emergency and our approach needs to change. A social prescribing postcode lottery exists – and it often comes down to the strength of the links between health services and the surrounding community.

“We need to be able to translate policy into actions. Physical activity has huge benefits that go deeper than just physical and mental health. Proactive interventions can help individuals reconnect with their community and grow in confidence but many experience barriers when taking the first step so we need to work collaboratively to overcome these.  

“Once the structure is designed, it will need continual scrutiny to ensure it is working effectively and providing tangible outcomes as society continues to change.”

Maree Todd MSP, Minister for Public Health, Women’s Health and Sport, attended the MFH event as both a keynote speaker and a participant in the panel debate that was chaired by health and care journalist Pennie Taylor and opened by the Chair of Movement for Health, Dr Emma Lunan.

The discussion highlighted a real lack of recognition for this workforce who are often managing people with complex needs. Currently, Scotland’s approach to social prescribing is lagging behind Wales, England, and Northern Ireland although Humza Yousaf, Cabinet Secretary for Health has committed to exploring appointing a lead for social prescribing for Scotland.

The benefits are clear; from supporting patients’ physical and mental health, to reducing health inequalities in local communities, while reducing the workload of frontline health professionals.

Taking part in local activities also helps build the skills and confidence to improve social functioning, leading to the reduction of social isolation and loneliness while creating more connected and resilient communities.

Dr Emma Lunan added: “Community empowerment was a central theme of the debate. It plays a vital role when linking patients to sources of support and networks.

“Greater control needs to be transferred to link workers in order to provide a direct relationship between health care and communities. This would ensure long-term solutions can be implemented rather than quick non sustainable alternatives.”

Currently, social prescribing in Scotland is supported by two networks; Scottish Social Prescribing Network (SSPN) and Scottish Community Link Worker Network (SCLWN). Both networks share learnings, information and good practice across different initiatives while championing the need for a national approach and joined up thinking across all local authority areas.

The approach can fall under several ministerial portfolios which makes the desire for the Scottish Government to identify a lead important to deliver real change for communities and individuals.

Alison Leitch, co-chair of Scottish Social Prescribing Network and Community Link Worker Assistant Service Manager for Edinburgh, said: “The networks build on the strengths, drive and enthusiasm from various social prescribing programmes across the country, with the collective aim to embed the approach in health and social care in Scotland.

“These strengths could assist with ensuring that policy objectives can be measured, evaluated and reported on in a cohesive manner.”

The SSPN and CLW Network are well established networks and the go to body of knowledge in terms of social prescribing and link working in Scotland.

Clare Cook, Project Manager at SPRING Social Prescribing, said: “It is widely recognised that community groups and services can respond more quickly to local needs than statutory services and have less barriers attached to them which encourage engagement. 

“Often a little hand holding in order to build a person’s confidence or provide some reassurance along with good local knowledge goes a long way. Statutory services are under too much pressure to offer this currently yet social prescribing presents a host of benefits to individuals, communities, healthcare and Government.”

The full Movement for Health coalition includes: Age Scotland, Health and Social Care Alliance Scotland, Alzheimer Scotland, Breast Cancer Now, British Lung Asthma and Lung UK, Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland, Diabetes UK, Macmillan Cancer Support, MS Society, Parkinson’s Scotland, Paths for All, RNIB, SAMH, Scotland Versus Arthritis, Stroke Association, VHS, Waverly Care, Scottish Disability Sport and Community Leisure Scotland.  

With four key missions, Movement for Health is working towards raising awareness within health practitioners, physical activity and sport providers, policy makers and the general public, by providing research, resources and political action to support those who are affected to get more active. 

For more information on Movement for Health, visit: https://www.movementforhealth.scot/

Link to report: https://www.movementforhealth.scot/news/social-prescribing-event

For more information on Scottish Social Prescribing Network, visit: https://www.scottishspn.org.uk/

For more information on Scottish Community Link Worker Network, visit: https://vhscotland.org.uk/what-we-do/scottish-community-link-worker-network/