Through the Movement for All programme, The Richmond Group of Charities and their partners have gathered insights into the common barriers preventing people with (multiple) long term health conditions from being active. It was identified that some of the barriers are external, and that any mediation and change would rely on the engagement and support of key stakeholders. To encourage partners to take tangible action, they have developed a set of Physical Activity and Long Term Conditions Resource Packs outlining key messages targeted at specific audiences, each with a tailored set of actions.   

The resource packs are designed to help people and organisations find ways that work for them to make changes within their sphere of practice that enable more people with long term health conditions to be active; be that prioritising and championing physical activity, helping improve inclusivity of opportunities, having more conversations about activity as part of healthcare appointments or becoming more active themselves.  

The aim of the packs is to: 

• Engage with you to make physical inactivity and long term health conditions a visible and relevant issue 

• Share consistent key messages about inactivity and health, and promote four tangible ways to make a difference to unblock barriers and advocate the benefits of physical activity for people with long term conditions 
  
  
• inspire you to prioritise and advocate for physical activity within your sphere and networks. 

Physical inactivity is an issue affecting a huge proportion of the population and it is the sixth leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the UK. NHS data indicates that 43% of the adult population has at least one long term health condition and we know from annual surveys run by Sport England that people with long term conditions are twice as likely to do less than thirty minutes a week of physical activity compared to people without conditions. That is a lot of people missing out on the physical and mental health benefits of physical activity, not to mention the wider benefits to society and communities. 

As an organisation working to support people to be active Living Sport are working to help address this issue, which is why we are pleased to see the new Physical Activity and Long Term Health Conditions Resource Pack from The Richmond Group of Charities, Mind, Parkinson’s UK, MS Society and Sport England (funded by the National Lottery).  

The aim of the pack is to help us, the wider the sport, leisure and physical activity sector and health and care partners to continue to ensure that supportive, inclusive and accessible physical activity opportunities and facilities are a priority. Living Sport will be making use of it and encourage you to do the same and share with your networks.  

• Resources for the sport and physical activity sector: for example sport, leisure and physical activity providers and support organisations such as Active Partnerships

There are also two further packs aimed at health audiences: 

• Resource pack for the health and care workforce: for example Social Prescribing Professionals, Allied Health Professionals and Nurse Specialists 
  
  
• Resource pack for health and care organisations: for example organisations working in Primary Care Networks and Integrated Care Systems that have responsibility for workforce, local strategy, decision-making or funding.