Millions More Moving

The Richmond Group of Charities has published Millions More Moving, a report informed by lived experience insights on how national policymakers can tackle inactivity by supporting people with long-term conditions to move more.

The Three Shifts

Millions More Moving sets out three ‘shifts’ in the policy landscape that will help maximise the role of movement in health and includes calls for a cross-departmental movement strategy and ministerial responsibility to drive further action.

Shift One: Ensuring leadership and accountability

Tackling inactivity and improving the activity levels of people with long-term conditions requires making movement a national priority.

Shift Two: Embedding movement in healthcare

People with long-term conditions should routinely be provided with advice and support on movement as part of good person-centred care; it shouldn’t be an add-on.

Shift Three: Encouraging movement as part of everyday life

Shifts in leadership and in healthcare are only part of the picture. We also need a shift towards making movement the norm in everyday life, redefining what it means to be active by broadening out the range of choices people with long-term conditions have to move more.

In conclusion

People with long-term conditions want to be more active and know the major benefits, but they need more support to do so. The benefits to the government and the healthcare system as well as the sport and physical activity sector are also clear. There is plenty of scope to build on the existing great work that is happening in pockets around the country, and there is so much more that could be done by implementing the three shifts.

Making these shifts will be a significant stride towards reducing inactivity by making it easier for people with long-term conditions to be active in ways that work for them. Making it meaningful and achievable is more likely to make behaviour change sustainable.

The Richmond Group of Charities stands ready to help. Our collective insights, services and networks can offer practical ways to bring these shifts into reality, all informed by the lived experience of people with long-term conditions.

Together, we can get millions more moving