Quality standard

Quality statement 1: Physical activity champions

Quality statement 1: Physical activity champions

Quality statement

Local authorities and healthcare commissioning groups have senior level physical activity champions who are responsible for developing and implementing local strategies, policies and plans.

Rationale

Moving more and being more active in everyday life is important for the physical and mental health of people of all ages and all abilities. Physical activity champions will raise the profile of physical activity to address local need and reduce inactivity. They will also ensure that local strategies, policies and plans are developed and implemented by using community engagement approaches (see NICE's guideline on community engagement) with a range of partners including the voluntary sector, community groups, faith groups, education sector, businesses, and disability groups. This will mean that setting priorities for physical activity initiatives are jointly agreed.

Quality measures

Structure

a) Evidence that local authorities have a physical activity champion at a senior level.

Data source: Local data collection, for example, a review of local authority staff organograms.

b) Evidence that healthcare commissioning groups have a physical activity champion at a senior level.

Data source: Local data collection, for example, a review of healthcare commissioner staff organograms.

c) Evidence that physical activity champions are responsible for developing and implementing local strategies, policies and plans.

Data source: Local data collection, for example, a review of personal development plans (PDPs), local authority and healthcare commissioner programmes, annual implementation reports and council portfolios.

d) Evidence that physical activity champions ensure community engagement approaches have been used to develop and review local strategies, policies and plans.

Data source: Local data collection, for example, a review of joint strategic needs assessments and joint health and wellbeing strategy (see Department of Health and Social Care guidance on joint strategic needs assessment and joint health and wellbeing strategies), local cycling and walking infrastructure plans (see Department for Transport guidance on planning local cycling and walking networks), sustainability and transformation plans, and integrated care system plans.

Outcomes

a) Proportion of adults meeting the recommendations in the UK Chief Medical Officers' physical activity guidelines.

Numerator – the number in the denominator who meet the recommendations in the UK Chief Medical Officers' physical activity guidelines.

Denominator – the number of adults.

Data source: National and local data on adult sport and physical activity is available from Sport England's Active Lives Adult survey and Public Health England's physical activity tool. The Public health outcomes framework for England 2016 to 2019 includes an indicator for adults 2.13i Proportion of adults achieving at least 150 minutes of physical activity per week in accordance with UK CMO recommended guidelines on physical activity.

b) Proportion of children and young people meeting the recommendations in the UK Chief Medical Officers' physical activity guidelines.

Numerator – the number in the denominator who meet the recommendations in the UK Chief Medical Officers' physical activity guidelines.

Denominator – the number of children and young people.

Data source: National and local data on sport and physical activity for children and young people is available from Sport England's Active Lives Children and Young People survey and Public Health England's physical activity tool.

c) Percentage of children aged 5 to 16 sufficiently physically active for good health.

Data source: National data is included in the Public health outcomes framework for England 2019 to 2020 (indicator in development).

d) Proportion of adults, children and young people who are physically inactive.

Numerator – the number in the denominator who are physically inactive.

Denominator – the number of adults, children and young people.

Data source: National data for adults is included in Public health outcomes framework for England 2016 to 2019 indicator 2.13ii Proportion of adults classified as inactive. National and local data on sport and physical activity for inactive children and young people is available from Sport England's Active Lives Children and Young People survey.

What the quality statement means for different audiences

Local authorities and healthcare commissioning groups should aim to increase physical activity through strategic planning and delivery action plans. A physical activity champion in local authorities will lead and support cross-sector working with other departments such as transport, planning, leisure and health to promote the importance of long-term physical activity. In healthcare commissioning groups physical activity champions will ensure that physical activity is embedded across all clinical pathways.

These champions will raise the profile of physical activity to address local need and reduce inactivity. They will also support champions in ensuring that local strategies, policies and plans are developed and implemented by using community engagement approaches (see NICE's guideline on community engagement) with a range of partners including the voluntary sector, community groups, faith groups, education sector, businesses, and disability groups.

Physical activity champions (a senior member of the local authority or healthcare commissioning group with physical activity as part of their portfolio) should be enthusiastic and passionate about promoting the importance of increasing physical activity and reducing inactivity in partnership with other departments such as transport, planning, leisure and health. They are responsible for developing and implementing cross-cutting local strategies, policies and plans by using community engagement approaches with a range of partners including the voluntary sector, community groups, faith groups, education sector, businesses, and disability groups.

People in the community will have a physical activity champion at a senior level in their local authority and healthcare commissioning group who will support cross-sector working with other departments such as transport, planning, leisure and health. Local strategies, policies and plans will be developed and implemented by using community engagement approaches with a range of partners including the voluntary sector, community groups, faith groups, education sector, businesses, and disability groups. People may have the opportunity to help develop and review their local strategies, policies and plans, which include their views, healthy lifestyles and physical activity needs.

Equality and diversity considerations

Local strategies, policies and plans that are developed and implemented by using community engagement approaches (see NICE's guideline on community engagement) and a range of partners should support and encourage all ages and all abilities to be physically active. Some groups are known to be less active, such as older people and people with disabilities. Local strategies, policies and plans should show that they have considered the needs of these groups and state how they are going to address these needs to ensure that they can be physically active.