The innovative programme encourages staff to increase their physical activity levels through engaging team-based challenges and digital tracking technology.
September marked the start of Pennine GP Alliance’s inaugural wellbeing challenge, designed to reward staff who complete 15 minutes of daily exercise.
After four weeks of competition, the highest-scoring team of employees will be crowned champions, after which participants will continue to be encouraged with similar gamified activity.
This pioneering programme is delivered by Active Teams and funded by Active Calderdale, addressing a critical local health challenge.
Currently, one-third of adults in the Calderdale area do not engage in regular physical activity, significantly impacting their physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing.
Healthcare professionals working within the Calder & Ryburn Primary Care Network will be the first to be offered access to Active Teams, with further Primary Care Networks in Calderdale following suit.
By investing in the wellness of those who care for our communities, this programme represents a significant step towards creating healthier workplaces and, ultimately, a healthier local population.
"Physical activity brings significant benefits to peoples' mental and physical health, but it isn’t a habit for everyone. We’re proud to support our staff’s wellbeing through this initiative and look forward to seeing how their experiences inspire patients. When healthcare staff make activity part of their lives, they can share its benefits in a more meaningful way," Hannah Davies, General Practice Physical Activity Champion at Pennine GP Alliance told That's Health.
“We need innovative approaches to support the NHS' shift from treatment to prevention. Services like Active Teams, which encourage people towards reaching healthy levels of physical activity through fun team competitions and challenges, are going to be an important piece of the puzzle. Many people are employed in sedentary roles and more employers should be considering preventative health measures like Active Teams, to increase staff health, wellbeing and productivity,” Nairn Robertson, Founder of Active Team added.
The initiative to promote fitness among front line NHS staff aligns with the government's strategy to start increasing physical activity levels nationwide. The approach prioritises healthcare workers on the frontlines of our health services, as detailed in the recent government whitepaper "Get Britain Working” and “Fit For The Future: 10 Year Health Plan for England”.
The Health Impact: Research demonstrates that just 22 minutes of moderate physical activity per day can deliver remarkable health benefits:
- Reducing stress and anxiety by up to 30%*
- Lowering the risk of chronic conditions such as type 2 diabetes by 40%**
- Minimising musculoskeletal problems, a leading cause of workplace absence across the UK***
Moderate activity is where your heart rate is raised, making you breathe harder and break a sweat, but so that you can still talk.
FACTFILE:-
Active Calderdale works with communities to make physical activity a normal part of everyday life. As part of the wider 'We’re All Active Calderdale' network, Active Calderdale helps promote movement, increase opportunities to be active, and encourage collaboration across sectors - particularly focusing on underrepresented or inactive groups. This collective effort brings wide-ranging benefits, including improved health and wellbeing, stronger social cohesion, and positive economic impact.
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