The wider sector needs to focus on working with health and social care / photo: Edward Starr Photographer
I read Martyn Allison’s comments on your story ‘Fixing the social care crisis’ (HCM newsfeed, January 09, 2024) with interest. He believes dramatic change is needed to the delivery of adult social care if we are to reduce the burden on the NHS, while freeing up the resources we need to enable physical activity.
I whole-heartedly support his belief that we need to reform the way we approach adult social care and that success lies in place-based collaborative working between organisations across public and private sectors.
Physical activity can play a central role in delivering the solution and in Essex we’ve already evidenced the success a collaborative approach can achieve when it places physical activity at the heart of delivery.
In 2022, Sport For Confidence formed a partnership with Adult Social Care at Essex County Council and Active Essex to deliver a two-year Local Delivery Pilot to evidence the impact of a whole system approach on adult social care and health.
In addition to the stakeholders, we also enrolled the support of partners across adult social care, the NHS, Essex County Council, Provider Quality Innovation Team and care homes.
Evidence from the University of Essex found the positive impact of embedding physical activity into a whole system approach to adult health and social care could deliver £58.72 of social value for every pound invested.
Powerful outcomes Participants needed less day care, less formal/informal support and GP appointments and they made less 999 calls, and hospital visits, equating to a saving of £365.23 per participant, per year, while also increasing their physical activity levels.
Based on the success of this pilot, the project was awarded funding for 12 months to March 2024. The pilot also prompted Essex County Council to issue a ‘Reconnect – early help and prevention’ tender for the commission of place-based, therapeutic interventions.
These will support adults living with learning needs and/or disabilities and long-term health conditions, to be physically active in their local area. The £1.3 million fund will support a programme for a three-year period with an option to extend by two.
This is a huge step and marks an encouraging and significant step-change in the traditional delivery model, while showcasing the ambition of the council to look for a new solution – plugging into established community-based resources and expertise, providing support to struggling NHS services and delivering positive health outcomes, while also addressing inequalities.
Prevention and integration In Nottingham, we’re consulting with a collective which includes Nottingham Healthcare NHS Trust (IDD Community MDT Newark and Holly Trinity Lodge Day Centre), YMCA Newark and Boccia England to hardwire physical activity into health and social care.
This programme provides a clear pathway from a health service to a leisure centre which enables participants with intellectual and developmental disability to create, access, participate in and sustain physical activity opportunities.
Participants are directed by the NHS to their nearby YMCA Community and Activity Village, where they can take part in Boccia sessions tailored to their needs on a weekly basis.
These sessions are conducted by the YMCA team and designed in collaboration with the NHS Newark team. Healthcare professionals, such as occupational therapists, speech therapists, and physiotherapists, adapt their clinical expertise to the community and activity-oriented setting.
They closely collaborate with coaches to make personalised adjustments, ensuring that everyone can meaningfully participate.
Sport for Confidence has also recently concluded a similar project in partnership with Golf in Society, showcasing positive evaluation results by utilising a golf club as a health hub for individuals with cognitive decline.
These are examples of how we’re facilitating a whole-system approach.
If physical activity is tailored to achieve specific outcomes, delivered by sports coaches in collaboration with health professionals and hosted in an inclusive, accessible setting it has the power to unlock huge health potential at a fraction of the cost of long-term clinical interventions.
We’re proving this through our model. The evidence exists. We and the wider sector now need to focus on working with health and social care to deliver a system that is not only effective, but also commercially sustainable.
"If physical activity is delivered in collaboration with health professionals it has the power to unlock huge health potential at a fraction of the cost of clinical interventions" – Liz Fletcher, Sport for Confidence
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The wider sector needs to focus on working with health and social care / photo: Edward Starr Photographer
I read Martyn Allison’s comments on your story ‘Fixing the social care crisis’ (HCM newsfeed, January 09, 2024) with interest. He believes dramatic change is needed to the delivery of adult social care if we are to reduce the burden on the NHS, while freeing up the resources we need to enable physical activity.
I whole-heartedly support his belief that we need to reform the way we approach adult social care and that success lies in place-based collaborative working between organisations across public and private sectors.
Physical activity can play a central role in delivering the solution and in Essex we’ve already evidenced the success a collaborative approach can achieve when it places physical activity at the heart of delivery.
In 2022, Sport For Confidence formed a partnership with Adult Social Care at Essex County Council and Active Essex to deliver a two-year Local Delivery Pilot to evidence the impact of a whole system approach on adult social care and health.
In addition to the stakeholders, we also enrolled the support of partners across adult social care, the NHS, Essex County Council, Provider Quality Innovation Team and care homes.
Evidence from the University of Essex found the positive impact of embedding physical activity into a whole system approach to adult health and social care could deliver £58.72 of social value for every pound invested.
Powerful outcomes Participants needed less day care, less formal/informal support and GP appointments and they made less 999 calls, and hospital visits, equating to a saving of £365.23 per participant, per year, while also increasing their physical activity levels.
Based on the success of this pilot, the project was awarded funding for 12 months to March 2024. The pilot also prompted Essex County Council to issue a ‘Reconnect – early help and prevention’ tender for the commission of place-based, therapeutic interventions.
These will support adults living with learning needs and/or disabilities and long-term health conditions, to be physically active in their local area. The £1.3 million fund will support a programme for a three-year period with an option to extend by two.
This is a huge step and marks an encouraging and significant step-change in the traditional delivery model, while showcasing the ambition of the council to look for a new solution – plugging into established community-based resources and expertise, providing support to struggling NHS services and delivering positive health outcomes, while also addressing inequalities.
Prevention and integration In Nottingham, we’re consulting with a collective which includes Nottingham Healthcare NHS Trust (IDD Community MDT Newark and Holly Trinity Lodge Day Centre), YMCA Newark and Boccia England to hardwire physical activity into health and social care.
This programme provides a clear pathway from a health service to a leisure centre which enables participants with intellectual and developmental disability to create, access, participate in and sustain physical activity opportunities.
Participants are directed by the NHS to their nearby YMCA Community and Activity Village, where they can take part in Boccia sessions tailored to their needs on a weekly basis.
These sessions are conducted by the YMCA team and designed in collaboration with the NHS Newark team. Healthcare professionals, such as occupational therapists, speech therapists, and physiotherapists, adapt their clinical expertise to the community and activity-oriented setting.
They closely collaborate with coaches to make personalised adjustments, ensuring that everyone can meaningfully participate.
Sport for Confidence has also recently concluded a similar project in partnership with Golf in Society, showcasing positive evaluation results by utilising a golf club as a health hub for individuals with cognitive decline.
These are examples of how we’re facilitating a whole-system approach.
If physical activity is tailored to achieve specific outcomes, delivered by sports coaches in collaboration with health professionals and hosted in an inclusive, accessible setting it has the power to unlock huge health potential at a fraction of the cost of long-term clinical interventions.
We’re proving this through our model. The evidence exists. We and the wider sector now need to focus on working with health and social care to deliver a system that is not only effective, but also commercially sustainable.
"If physical activity is delivered in collaboration with health professionals it has the power to unlock huge health potential at a fraction of the cost of clinical interventions" – Liz Fletcher, Sport for Confidence
Mass protests have been taking place since Monday 1 June in Albania over the development of
a luxury resort by Donald Trump’s daughter Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner.
Global Wellness Day (GWD) marked its 15th anniversary on Saturday 13 June 2026, with the
theme: #JoyMagenta – a celebration of the healing qualities of simple gestures and activities
that spark joy.
Global luxury hospitality brand, Six Senses, has partnered with longevity healthcare provider,
HUM2N, to launch a clinic at Six Senses London, at The Whiteley.
As part of its first hotel partnership, Mayrlife – the medical health resort company known for its
site in Altaussee, Austria – has launched a day clinic at the Rosewood Vienna.
Premium London health club, KX Chelsea, will imminently unveil its most significant
redevelopment since its launch in 2002 to create an integrated wellness model combining
training, recovery and relaxation.
Rosewood Le Guanahani St Barth, on the northeast coast of Saint Barthélemy in the French
West Indies, is offering a programme of ocean-inspired yoga classes between 8-14 June to
celebrate Global Wellness Day (GWD).
Hotel de France, located on the British Isle of Jersey, has created a wellness retreat package
that includes a hot yoga session that will take place in Jersey Zoo’s butterfly sanctuary.
The Ritz-Carlton, Langkawi, in Malaysia, has revealed a schedule for Global Wellness Day
(GWD) that includes guided rainforest walks, mindful movement and guided coastal meditation
experiences.
Longevitix, a clinical platform for preventive and longevity medicine, has launched its AI-
powered intelligence system to help physicians deliver continuous, personalised longevity-
focused care at scale.
Atmantan Wellness Centre, an integrative wellness destination in Mulshi, near Pune in India, is
expanding its portfolio by adding a new centre in Hyderabad that will launch between 2028 and
2029.
The Spa Life UK Convention returns from 21–23 June 2026 at Whittlebury Park Hotel, Spa &
Golf Resort, bringing together spa managers, directors and owners for two days of focused
education, meaningful connection and commercial insight. [more...]
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COMPANY PROFILES
Comfort Zone Comfort Zone’s comprehensive face and body professional and retail range allows clients
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