All Together Active: a physical activity strategy for health and social care across Cheshire and Merseyside

Working as part of a whole-system to tackle health inequalities

MSP and counterparts Active Cheshire have been commissioned by the ICS (Integrated Care System) Cheshire & Merseyside Health & Care Partnership to lead the development of a Physical Activity Strategy for the subregion, All Together Active, which will support our local Places to implement prevention at scale.

Our collective ambition is to support 150,000 inactive people across Cheshire and Merseyside to be more active by 2026, and to create and embed a whole-system approach to physical activity across the subregion in order to achieve this prevention at scale.

All Together Active is supported by a Physical Activity Subgroup of strategic stakeholders from across the region, including representatives from public health, the care sector, sport and leisure services, academia and the VCFSE sector.  It also has the backing of key organisations including Sport England and Champs.

All Together Active strategy

Why is a strategy needed?

In the Cheshire and Merseyside region there are growing disparities in life expectancy between the richest and poorest areas, and over half a million adults in the region are classed as inactive (undertaking less than 30 minutes of moderate physical activity per week).

Physical inactivity costs the NHS in the UK around £1bn per year, however there is a clear cost-benefit in aligning physical activity to the health system. Research shows that there is a £3.91 return for every £1 invested in physical activity, including a major role for physical activity in the prevention of a number of serious physical and mental health conditions (Sheffield Hallam University, 2020).

All Together Active has been recognised as a key pillar of the ICS prevention agenda, further cemented by the development of the Marmot Region principles and physical activity’s importance in tackling health inequalities.  The strategy takes a whole-system approach towards physical activity, aligning with the Sport England ‘Uniting the Movement’ strategy and other health workstreams linked to the ICS.

Read the All Together Active strategy

Published in October 2022, you can read the All Together Active strategy via the Champs website.

You can also rewatch the strategy launch event (12th October 2022) by clicking here.

 

Get involved

If your organisation would like to be involved in progressing this work within Merseyside then please contact us by completing this form.

Want to join or find out more about the whole-system approach towards a Physical Activity Strategy for Cheshire and Merseyside?

About the Subgroup

The Physical Activity Subgroup consists of a range of strategic stakeholders from across the region, including representatives from public health, the care sector, sport and leisure services, academia and the VCFSE sector.

Over the last couple of years the Subgroup have been on a journey with our stakeholders following a roadmap of key milestones towards the Strategy development, which has included:

  • Undertaking initial research to ascertain needs and opportunities across the region
  • Proposing strategic themes and a draft framework
  • Presentation of findings to key stakeholders
  • Producing a System Map, which has informed the development of a Stakeholder Map
  • Working with system partners to pilot and develop physical activity initiatives – for example supporting Health Equalities Group with building physical activity in to the NHS Prevention Pledge, and working with Champs to pilot integrating physical activity in to NHS clinical pathways

 

This work will culiminate in the creation of the 2022-26 Cheshire and Merseyside Physical Activity Strategy, to be launched in August 2022.

The Active Practice Charter

MSP and Active Cheshire have also been commissioned by the Cheshire & Merseyside Health & Care Partnership to test and pilot implementing the RCGP and Sport England-backed Active Practice Charter across 60 GP Practices in the region.

The vision of the initiative is that GP practices across the UK can take steps to encourage and support staff and patients to lead healthier, happier lives by taking action that encourages people to be more active and less sedentary.  It also supports the linkages between primary care and physical activity providers in their locality who can help improve the health and wellbeing of patients and staff.

MSP are supporting GP Practices in the Liverpool City Region to achieve the Charter by implementing research and insight, training, equipment, signposting and links to local physical activity providers.

If your GP Practice is interested in getting involved in the Active Practice Charter then please contact Danny Woodworth via d.woodworth@merseysidesport.com

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