It’s frightening to learn that one in four of England’s population is classed as inactive, meaning they do less than 30 minutes of moderate physical activity each week – that’s under five minutes a day!

Inactivity is one of the leading causes of preventable early death, and the IGPM team regularly see the negative impact of physical inactivity on patients’ health and wellbeing while working in practice. The increase in chronic lifestyle-related disease, mental health disease and social isolation will put further strain on an already challenged NHS and we have the opportunity to make a difference.

The RCGP’s Active Practice Charter has been launched to empower GPs and the practice team to encourage a change in lifestyle – not just in their patients but in themselves too!

IGPM Director Kay Keane has been through the RCGP Active Practice Charter process at the Alvanley Family Practice, and after seeing the benefits for her team and patients, she organised an informative webinar to share more information with fellow practice managers.

Dr Hussain Al-Zubaidi, the RCGP’s Lifestyle and Physical Activity Lead, and Channel 4’s TV Doctor (Steph’s Packed Lunch), joined Kay to highlight the importance of the scheme, and to explain why he’s campaigning for this cause.

“Working on the front line of healthcare delivery, it’s key we practise what we preach if we want others to follow suit. Sharing our own lived experiences of the real-life benefits of physical activity is a powerful tool in inspiring others to get moving as well.

“Prior to the last five years, I’d lived a very sedentary lifestyle. I knew that physical activity was beneficial for our health and I did often try to explain this to patients but found I was ineffective at achieving significant behaviour change. It was my own personal journey to healthier activity levels which resulted in my understanding and awareness of the benefits. Now it forms an integral part of my life and I value it as much as I do sleep and nutrition. We all start somewhere, and it’s never too late, regardless of your age or health condition. There’s always some movement that’s safe, effective and enjoyable for your patient. Now I find it considerably easier to achieve behaviour change in my patients as I’m more passionate, knowledgeable and comfortable talking about physical activity.”

GP surgeries are the most used point of access to healthcare in the UK, so what better place to get people moving for their health? Practice managers are the centre of that team and can often champion the importance of activity in maintaining, improving and protecting health.

With the growing push towards a more active nation, the Royal College of General Practitioners would encourage all surgeries and PCNs to become ‘active practices’. To do this, they need to demonstrate simple ways to reduce sedentary behaviour and to increase physical activity in both their staff and patients. We’ve found that some of the most effective local champions at practice and PCN level have been practice managers, and we strongly promote their involvement in the programme. If you want to find out more about how to apply for active practice status for your workplace, please visit our physical activity hub.

You can find Dr Hussain Al-Zubaidi on Instagram at @irondoctorhaz. Please share your practice’s good work here, and don’t forget to add #activepracticecharter or #activepractice to your comments.

If you missed the webinar and would like to catch up, you can watch it here.

For upcoming IGPM webinars, follow this link here.