Hounslow Physical Activity and Sport Strategy

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1 Hounslow Physical Activity and Sport Strategy Supported by:

2 Contents Foreword Why do we need a strategy for Hounslow? The Vision Why is being active so important? How active are we in Hounslow? The need for Change The Future Measuring Progress Glossary Appendix 1. Strategic Context

3 Foreword We are launching this Strategy at a time when sport couldn t be higher on the agenda, with both the Olympic and Paralympic Games having taken place in London this summer. We are intent on creating a lasting legacy from the Games and I am genuinely excited about some of the changes and opportunities this Strategy will create. Whilst taking part in sport and physical activity is not the only factor that affects your quality of life, increasing your participation in regular physical activity can make a huge difference. It is estimated that every year the health related costs associated with the low levels of physical activity in the Borough are in the region of 3.6 million. This puts pressure on our budgets, at a time when financial pressures are growing. It also creates an inequality in life expectancies across the Borough where the difference in life expectancy between the highest and lowest wards in the Borough is 14.7 years for males and 9.3 for females. I recognise the Council has a significant role to play in increasing participation but also that we are only one of many organisations involved. Whilst we provide the majority of the infrastructure where sport takes place such as leisure centres, schools, playing fields, parks etc. voluntary clubs and organisations undertake much of the provision and activity. We are in the process of addressing the poor condition of some of our leisure facilities and we have recently invested 26 million to improve our leisure centres. This investment has made a significant difference and visits to our leisure centres have increased from 60,000 a month to over 110,000 a month. With the future redevelopment of Heston Pools now a reality we hope to increase visits to an even higher level in the future. Whilst improving the infrastructure is important we need to support local clubs, schools and organisations to create opportunities for people to take part. We will need to target resources at the known areas of need and work closely with all our partners in Community Sports and Physical Activity Network if we are to make a difference. I look forward to championing this cause. Cllr Ajmer Grewal Lead Member for Leisure and Well Being 3

4 1. Why do we need a strategy for Hounslow? 1.1 This Strategy provides a common vision for everyone involved in the delivery of sport and physical activity in Hounslow. It has been developed with the input of our local clubs, schools and organisations and it will drive and support a more coordinated and targeted approach to the work being done to increase opportunities and participation across the Borough. 1.2 Most of the leisure provision we have today has grown organically. There has been no planned or co-ordinated approach as to how this has happened. In the future there will be fewer resources and grants available and our approach will need to be smarter and more co-ordinated to take advantage of these funding opportunities. The vision and outcomes set out in this Strategy will provide the starting point and basis for how we work better with our partners to ensure that future opportunity for facility developments, grants and programmes are appropriate, accessible and sustainable. 1.3 Whilst working more strategically is the fundamental reason for the development of this Strategy there is also the clear need to increase levels of physical activity. Our levels of participation in Hounslow 1 are below average when we compare ourselves to England and London. The low levels of physical activity leads to associated health problems and the significant differences in levels of participation across the Borough create inequality issues, which we need to address. The reasons for the differences are complex but they are often linked to differences in health, wealth and education. 1.4 To address these issues the Council is looking to tailor and deliver services that better meet the needs of people living and working in the Borough. In terms of health and wellbeing, this might mean supporting our ageing population by allowing them to remain independent for longer whilst retaining their quality of life. Increasing the level of their participation in regular physical activity and sport will play a significant role and will help reduce their need for more intensive support. 1.5 This Strategy helps to address many of the issues that are part of the emerging Health and Well Being Strategy including the high levels of obesity in children and the increasing levels of obesity in our adult population. 1.6 The responsibility to drive this Strategy lies with various partners and we believe that the Hounslow Community Sport and Physical Activity Network (CSPAN) which includes representatives from local schools, leisure providers, community groups, health and sports clubs is best placed to co-ordinate and deliver this Strategy. 1 1 Pro-Active West Active People Survey 3 Summary for Hounslow. CSPAN website. Library - Data and participation information 4

5 2. The Vision 2.1 Our vision is simple To create a healthier more active Borough, where residents have easy access to high quality facilities and opportunities 2.2 We will achieve this by working towards the following outcomes: Increasing the regular and sustained participation in physical activity and sport with the target that one in four of our adult residents will be taking an active part in physical activity by the end of this Strategy. We will look to target areas and populations known to have lower participation rates including areas within the central and west areas of the Borough, and particular parts of the Borough s population such as certain ethnic groups, those with a disability, and women Enhancing the school sports programme and providing high quality coaching and opportunities for young people to participate and compete across the Borough Taking a co-ordinated approach to running local events and developing legacy programmes that are associated with large sporting events such as the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games Improving facilities and targeting project delivery through wider understanding of participation rates, better sharing of data, good practice and stronger local networks Increasing the number of people in the Borough who volunteer in roles that promote participation in physical activity and sport Improving sporting competition and performance within the Borough through identification of priority sports and improved support structures. 5

6 3. Why is being active so important? 3.1 Physical activity and sport have a significant impact on the quality of life for people across all ages. This is supported by the increasing number of national and regional strategies and programmes that focus on the importance of increasing participation (see appendix 1). 3.2 Participation in regular physical activity and sport is well known to positively impact upon health and wellbeing, but it is also contributes towards social development and supports stronger and safer communities and social networks 2. Health and wellbeing 3.3 Physical inactivity is now widely recognised to have a direct impact on poorer health both physically and mentally and in Hounslow alone it is estimated that financially this inactivity equates to health related costs of 3,621,120 per year 3. Increasing regular participation in physical activity and sport has been proven to significantly reduce the risk of a wide range of health conditions. These include preventing the onset of obesity, coronary heart disease (CHD), stroke and hypertension, diabetes, cancer, osteoporosis, a reduction in falls among older adults and minimising the effects of arthritis. 3.4 In a local context the physical activity commissioning matrix 4 demonstrates that a 15% reduction in the proportion of the population who are inactive in Hounslow would lead to an annual decrease in the number of deaths from stroke, cancer and CHD from 147 to Regular participation is also beneficial to psychological and social health. The mental health benefits from regular physical activity and sport includes the positive impact of reducing stress and anxiety while also raising self esteem, confidence and purpose. Stronger communities 3.6 Physical activity and sport brings people together and contributes to breaking down social and cultural barriers, creating common ground, and a sense of belonging. It can foster civic and social pride as well as achieving community cohesion, especially in diverse communities. Participation can also help tackle isolation and improve people s sense of purpose, self-esteem and confidence. Safer communities 3.7 Sport and physical activity projects can make a significant contribution to the reduction in crime rates and anti social behaviour. This has been particularly demonstrated among young people who are recognised as the most significant group in terms of offending. Early involvement in sport and physical activities can 2 The Value of Sport monitor. 3 Department of Health Be Active Be Healthy. 4 Unknown author PCT Commissioning Matrix. CSPAN website. Library - Data and participation information 6

7 help in preventing a person starting to engage in crime or diverting others away from re-offending. Lifelong Learning 3.8 There is an increasing weight of evidence to demonstrate that involvement in physical activity and sports has a positive impact on educational attainment especially in young people. Sport helps give both young and older people the opportunity to develop new skills, and the confidence and motivation to gain qualifications that can ultimately lead to employment and career development. This can be particularly relevant to young people in developing early skills and habits that will take them into adulthood. 7

8 4. How active are we in Hounslow? 4.1 Hounslow falls below the national and regional average with the latest figures from the Active People national survey suggesting just 19.6% 5 participate in 30 minutes of sport and physical activity at least three times per week. 4.2 Whilst there has been variation in our performance over the last seven years and an improvement in the last three, our performance now is not significantly different to when the survey first started in 2005 (19.7%). To really make a difference we need to look at longer term plans that relate to people and places. 4.3 The Active People Survey provides us with indicative data regarding our adult population (over 16 years of age) and highlights that residents participation is lower than average in females, those with a disability and certain ethnic groups. We need to take this into account in the way we target our outreach work and centre-based programmes. 4.5 Furthermore, the Survey identifies that participation rates are lowest in the central and west areas of the Borough (see figure 1). 4.6 This is not surprising and when we overlay this data with other health, educational attainment and deprivation data for the borough there is strong geographical correlation between the areas with low levels of physical activity, poor health and low educational attainment. 4.7 This multi-layered picture, which is further illustrated in the Councils Joints Strategic Needs Assessment, highlights the inequalities that exist across the Borough and the clear need to address these issues in a more co-ordinated and strategic manner. 5 Sport England Active People Survey

9 Figure 1. Adult participation in sport and active recreation. Sport England Active People Survey. ASP3 and ASP4 Model Based Estimates,

10 Figure 2. Map of the London Borough of Hounslow at the lower super output area shaded by decile of IMD score calculated nationally (0 = most deprived nationally, 90 = least deprived nationally). Data: IMD

11 5. The need for Change 5.1 The indicators for health, education and deprivation have shown the same issues in the same areas for a significant period of time. If we are really to make a difference we need to address the factors that affect participation and the culture that exists around taking part. 5.2 We need to improve the sports facilities and play facilities across the Borough and increase opportunities for people to take part in accessible, fun and safe environments. Our recent investment into the leisure centres has seen visits go from 60,000 visits a month to over 110,000 visits a month. This is a significant change. Furthermore our investment in play facilities in parks has seen many more families using these facilities and parks become safer places as a result. So improving the quality of our facilities really does make a difference. 5.3 However, if we are to make a significant cultural change in participation patterns this needs to take place within our next generation. Children generally access sport and physical activity because their parents encourage them and take them to activities that they themselves enjoyed or were involved in when they were younger. The risk is that the low participation we see in our current adult population is continued in the next generation. 5.4 To significantly increase participation in children and adults in the future we need to increase the number of children who have a positive experience with sport and physical activity now. We need to get this right from an early age and this is key to the success of this Strategy. 5.5 To do this we need to have the right people in place to teach, coach and inspire young people at an early age. We need to make sure we don t exclude children on the basis of talent and performance and we need to ensure that both schools and clubs have access to high quality facilities and good quality equipment. 5.6 This is a fundamental change to current thinking and we may not see the benefits of this in the life of this Strategy. 5.7 Alongside this we need to continue to address the current low levels of participation in the adult population and use the information within the Active Peoples Survey to create and target programmes where we know participation and health issues are of greatest concern. 5.8 Information is now freely accessible from a range of organisations such as Sport England and the Department of Health 6 on the most effective means of communicating with different groups within Hounslow. This needs to be used together with informed and proven approaches for encouraging and supporting participation in our communities. 6 Sport England Segmentation tool - Change4life and other resources available at 11

12 6. The Future 6.1 It is clear that we do need to address the poor levels of participation in a strategic way and there are two obvious ways we could tackle this. We could do this by focusing on the cross cutting issues such as health, age, gender, disability or the settings where sport and physical activity take place such as schools, leisure centres, sports clubs, community and health. 6.2 We have decided to take the latter approach as it is easier to gain clear ownership and clarity with our partners with respect to the roles and outcomes that their area of work impact on. 6.3 We will however, report our performance against the cross cutting issues on an annual basis to review the impact each of these settings have had upon addressing inequalities within the different demographic groups. Schools 6.4 For many people school is the first experience of physical activity and sport. It provides a lasting memory and in many cases the first experience has not been a positive one. We are fortunate to have a very strong School Sport Partnership in place providing a vast array of additional support for teachers, as well as programmes and opportunities for young people in our schools. 6.5 As a result of their work 70% of children in our schools now taken part in three or more hours of physical activity a week and this places the Borough in the top seven Councils nationwide. Information from the same survey in 2010 also indicates that Hounslow has the second highest number of students involved in leading and volunteering in relation to sport and physical activity. 6.6 The School Sport Partnership is split geographically and is managed by two very skilled partnership managers who are located at Feltham to cover the west of the Borough and at Isleworth and Syon to cover the East of the Borough. Their work supports and develops curriculum and wider extra-curricular opportunities for children in our schools. 6.7 The School Sport Partnership coordinates and delivers competitive sport in both primary and secondary schools. The majority of these competitions form part of the current national competition framework and pathways are clearly established ranging from intra-school sport to national finals. These are supported at appropriate levels by school sport leaders, local clubs and National governing bodies of sport. In 2010 the Partnership ran a total of 182 competitions and this year Hounslow secondary schools won the inaugural London School Games Competition. 6.8 Their work is also targeted at specific groups where participation is low. In recent years the Partnership has focused on increasing participation particularly by young women. This has involved developing programmes based on known needs. One of the examples of this work is the introduction of electronic dance mats in secondary schools. This programme has also been linked to the Step into Sport programme where female leaders within the schools have been trained to operate the dance mat system and deliver extra-curricular sessions to other girls in the school. 12

13 6.9 The key focus for the Partnership now is to develop work on health, leadership and volunteering, curriculum professional development and competition alongside high quality physical education The Partnership has been funded in the main by grants from Central Government. This funding is now at risk. Getting young people into sport is critical to the success of this Strategy and we need to explore how we can help sustain the work of this Partnership moving forwards. Key Actions 1. Establish a sustainable way to continue and expand the work of the Schools Sport Partnership across the Borough. 2. Develop and promote the new School Games competition and related pathways ensuring increased opportunities for wider competitive participation within schools 3. Develop and promote walking and cycling programmes within schools and youth groups, supporting the development of safe routes to schools in the Borough 4. Develop stronger links between schools and sports clubs together with performance pathways as part of the legacy from the 2012 games. 5. Identify a means of monitoring of children and young peoples participation in the absence of the requirement to collect data on the national PE and Sport Strategy for Young People (PESSYP). 6. Increase the delivery of high quality physical education throughout all key stages. 7. Use health and wellbeing data such as that from the National Child Measurement programme to focus delivery of programmes such as the primary Change4Life clubs within the school sport partnership areas. 8. Increase numbers of children attaining leadership, volunteering, coaching and officials qualifications inside and outside of the curriculum through the continued development of the Sports leaders and Sport Ambassadors' programme. 9. Continue to utilise Step into Sport, or equivalent, as a monitoring tool/reward system for leadership. 10. Support the establishment of change4life and community based satellite sports clubs within school sites, accessing both Sport England and other funding opportunities. 13

14 Leisure Facilities 6.11 The Council operates six leisure centres across the Borough in Brentford, Chiswick, Hanworth, Heston, Isleworth and Osterley. Each of these facilities has a discrete catchment area and the current location of these centres mean that residents have good access to high quality local facilities The Centres are managed by Fusion Lifestyle Ltd as part of a long-term contractual arrangement. They were in desperate need of modernisation and the Council has now completed a 26 million investment programme to refurbish four of them. This investment has had a significant impact on participation rates and visits have increased from 60,000 visits per month to an average of 110,000 visits per month. Membership sales have also increased by 20% in the same period with concessionary packages increasing by 50%. Good facilities really do make a difference to participation rates Heston Pools, however, is currently in a poor condition, and the Council is now committed to redeveloping the Centre. The intention is to replace the existing pool with a brand new Centre on the existing site by Once this is completed all our residents will have good access to high quality local facilities In addition to the improvement in facilities, we are now using the Sport England data to target provision and activities. For example women-designated sessions are provided in all Council leisure centres and in some centres pool use is reserved for female participants only (at certain times) The leisure centres are not the only leisure facilities the Council provides. Our network of public halls, offer a number of sport and fitness classes mostly run by private companies/individual coaches who hire out the facilities Furthermore we have over 213 parks and open spaces across the Borough. These spaces have an important part to play in the community and enable a wide range of 14

15 sports and physical activities to take place, ranging from informal walking, tennis, Thai chi, and kick abouts through to structured and formal sporting activities where clubs hire facilities or manage the land through formal leases The parks are used on a weekly basis by over 80% of our residents with nearly half of these visits being made by families to use the playgrounds. The playgrounds are in a poor state and the Council recognises it will have to spend in excess of 5 million over the next 10 years to replace the existing provision. Work is also required at the numerous properties we lease to clubs and organisations across the Borough. These issues are addressed in the Parks Strategy. Key Actions 1. Redevelop Heston Leisure Centre by Monitor satisfaction rates at leisure centres to ensure they remain at high level with facility users. 3. Monitor participation rates at our leisure centres to ensure that the centres remain accessible to local people. 4. Develop specific programmes to address the lower participation rates and poorer health in certain catchment areas and among targeted groups. 5. Use leisure centres and green space to promote active travel to both the public and the business community. 6. Improve access to residents receiving personal budgets as part of Putting People First. 7. Overcome physical and cultural barriers to attendance at leisure and park facilities in order to improve use by all parts of the community. 8. Increase opportunities for volunteering and skills development for local residents and community groups within leisure and park facilities. 9. Explore the provision of free access to Borough leisure facilities for training purposes for sports people performing at a high level, building on the British Olympic Passport Scheme 2012 which all leisure centres are currently part of. 10. Identify appropriate external funding opportunities to improve community and leisure facilities within Hounslow. 15

16 Community 6.18 There are a huge variety of opportunities to be active in the local community right across the Borough. These range from formal well marketed opportunities to informal gatherings of people socialising and participating in some form of physical activity. Some activities are funded by the Local Authority but many organisations receive a wide range of local and national grants to make these opportunities available. Still more are simply run informally by volunteers or local individuals who see a need, or others who set up sessions that are self funding Often the challenge is knowing what is available and where so that people who are interested in being more active can easily access what is happening locally. Get Active London ( has been launched regionally and has been developed by the Proactive organisation to give both providers and users of physical activity and sports opportunities easier access to sessions that are happening near to them. We will work within the community and with local professionals to promote and populate this resource in Hounslow The following are just a few of the wide range of programmes that receive a mix of local and wider funding in the community that are targeted within Hounslow: Hounslow Health Walks consists of a regular free weekly programme of volunteer-led group walks in the borough s parks. The walks encourage local people to discover and enjoy local green space with company and in the safety of a group. These particularly target areas of deprivation within Hounslow and where people suffer poorer health. Community-based exercise sessions are provided in many voluntary and community groups meeting on a regular basis. As part of their meetings many also participate in low level exercise sessions including stretches, yoga, and keep fit activities. Some of these sessions are led by paid professionals whilst others are led by volunteers. Community sports programmes such as those delivered by Brentford FC Community Sports Trust (BFSCST) offer a range of programmes targeting young people, women and those with disabilities. Activities often target the most deprived wards in Hounslow providing opportunities for people to participate in sport and physical activity. The biggest strength of the Trust is their engagement with young people using sport and exercise as a tool. The young people have the opportunity to participate in quality exercise sessions under the supervision of qualified coaches in a safe environment. Projects are also delivered in partnership with other local organisations, providing educational workshops that provide young people with the opportunity to make informed lifestyle decisions We will continue to support the development of such opportunities in the Borough through local commissioning and grants where available and the support of relevant local funding bids to help attract additional external funding into the Borough. Active Travel 6.23 As well as organised sessions, another key opportunity for anyone to be active within the community is found in simply how we travel around the borough. The following initiatives are and will continue to be developed with a range of partners to encourage this type of activity: 16

17 The Better, More Accessible Streets programme and Infrastructure, Greenways programmes aim to make walking, cycling and streetscape areas more accessible, more attractive and generally safer for all residents who walk, cycle or travel generally in our Borough. The School Travel Planning programme plans to introduce at least one safe route to school in association with the Community Streets programme. The School Travel Planning programme also aims to ensure 50% of schools are accredited to sustainable level and at least 15% of schools accredited to the higher standards level. The Borough s Sustainable Travel Promotion programme, Hounslow Travel Active aims to encourage residents to walk and cycle by registering 10,000 residents to use it as an information portal to provide active travel information Such programmes will help meet the Borough s target for increasing cycling rates from 3% of all trips made currently to 6%, which equates to an increase in trips from 15,000 per year to approximately 30,000 per year. Alongside increasing walking trips from 28.5% to 30.5% of all trips made. Key Actions 1. Increase availability and access to community based-exercise facilities and opportunities to increase regular participation in populations who are known to have lower levels of participation. 2. Target the promotion of the Hounslow Travel Active campaign with groups and where participation in sport and physical activity is known to be lower to further develop Hounslow as a cycling Borough 3. Improve the environment for being active through the Better, More Accessible Streets programme and the Cycle Infrastructure and Greenways programme 4. Provide support to community organisations in order to enhance the impact on participation of large sports events such as the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. 5. Collect and communicate information on smaller local activity sessions and attendance happening within the community through the greater use of the Get Active London portal. 6. Supply walking and cycling data and anonymised data from Hounslow Travel Active to the public and other partners to provide further background data on physical activity participation in the Borough. 7. Increase access and take up of free or low-cost training so groups can deliver basic activity sessions themselves rather than needing to pay for instructors 8. Increase the recruitment and involvement of volunteers in community based activity opportunities. 9. Encourage people who are regularly active in the community to join local sports clubs through better links. Sports Clubs 6.25 We estimate that there are over 160 sports clubs in Hounslow covering at least 30 different sports. These include nationally recognised clubs such as Brentford Football Club and Hounslow Gymnastics Club right the way through to small local organisations that operate out of community halls. They provide a significant part of our community sports provision and provide opportunities for 1,000 s of our residents to take part in sport. For example, Hounslow Swimming Club caters for 17

18 over 3,000 members alone. Whilst the Active People Survey indicates that there has been a small decrease in club membership over the last three years, these voluntary organisations provide an essential service to our community and have a key role to play in the sports and physical activity provision in the Borough We know that sustainability is an issue for many of our clubs. Whilst many of them are able to accommodate more members this is restricted by financial constraints and issues over facility provision. So we need to work more effectively with them to help create a more sustainable base and provide access for facility expansion / improvements where appropriate Many of these clubs either use our leisure centres and halls or have leases on our land. Our Centres are near capacity and we will be working with clubs and Fusion to review existing programmes and see if space can be found We do have land that could be used to allow clubs to expand, however, realistically there are too many individual clubs for us to work with effectively and we need to take a more strategic approach. In the future we will work more closely with the respective Governing Bodies to identify key clubs in our Borough that require support and the core needs they have for future development. This will make it easier for clubs to apply for funding and will allow us to build their future needs into key Planning Policy documents There are other ways we can address low club participation and health inequalities. Current initiatives include No Strings Badminton, Extreme-ability, Back to Netball and Fusion s partnership with England Squash and Racketball and London Swimming. The Sportivate and Sport Impact programmes also work to promote school club links to allow longer term participation. We will continue to build on this work in the future Whilst facilities and infrastructure is important every club needs volunteers to help manage facilities and coach participants. If we want to increase our clubs capacity and ensure that they can provide a high quality environment, we need to help them increase their ability to provide appropriately qualified coaches. Courses are not cheap and require both funding and a time commitment from the individual. This is an area where we could provide additional support by revising the existing community grant schemes Sports Jam is an example of the community sporting events that have been held in the Borough. Led by BFCCST, with events in 2008, 2009 and 2010, it aimed to showcase all positive aspects of local community sport highlighting providers, clubs and supporting partners. Such local community events can be important in supporting the promotion of opportunities in local sports clubs. Potential exists to link such events with similar regional annual campaigns such as the Clubsfest that was first held in 2010 and is designed to attract new members to participating clubs BFCCST has also supported the provision of football teams for youth and adults across the Borough and pathways for these players are being set up to enable the highest achievers to progress further. An example of this is that one Feltham Bees player was called up to the England Cerebral Palsy squad in 2010 and is now a regular England player representing Great Britain in at London

19 No Barriers Badminton Club Hounslow Borough has an inclusive badminton club which can boast two English Paralympic players, the Welsh National Championship disabled doubles winners and a no barriers club boasting 18 attendees of which 50% are registered disabled. This club was initiated through the hard work of the coaches (both of whom are disabled themselves), and the volunteer club members who were keen to see more disabled players come through the doors. Through the networking support of the Hounslow CSPAN, Sheila Collins, the Hounslow Badminton Association project manager, discussed the idea with Hounslow Borough s extreme ability project lead at Brentford FC Community Sports Trust. Some initial funding was offered to match the reduced venue cost and volunteer time given and in September 2009 the No-Barriers inclusive club was born. After the coaches from West Middlesex Badminton supported our disability sports profiling day, it became clear that both organisations had a similar goal of creating further opportunities for disabled adults to play sports. The No-Barriers club is a great example of what can happen when local groups work together with a common goal. Bruno Forbes, Head Coach at No Barriers Badminton Club said The response from disabled players has been very positive and it is great to see them breaking out of their shell. The club continues to grow and find new ways of helping disabled people. For us as a club it is as much about them enjoying themselves as learning and developing new skills...i am encouraged and hold high prospects for the projects being undertaken by Hounslow Borough. Key Actions 1. Increase participation at sports clubs, particularly in those areas and among populations known to have lower levels of activity by continuing to address physical and cultural barriers. 2. Increase access to training and facility time within local facilities to help clubs increase participation and be more inclusive. 3. Increase the number of clubs involved in and supporting local sports events and programmes such as Sportivate that encourage membership of local sports clubs 4. Increase the number of sports clubs with clear links to schools. 5. Build on the work of Hounslow Sports Forum to establish regular communication between the Local Authority and local sports clubs within Hounslow through a regular club forum. 6. Improve understanding and information on membership and participation within sports clubs in Hounslow. 7. Support clubs in the recruitment and retention of volunteers and develop a Borough wide system of rewarding them for their contribution in Hounslow. 8. Support and encourage clubs to become Clubmark accredited. 9. Further develop pathways to support Hounslow s participation and performance in regional competitions. 10. With support from national governing bodies, develop a targeted approach to sport and club development in key sports including football, cricket, cycling, tennis and athletics to improve the support provided and enhance participation and performance in the Borough. 19

20 Health 6.33 Health professionals are increasingly being recognised as having an important role in the promotion of physical activity. It is known that the brief intervention and the advice of a GP can have a significant impact upon a patient if delivered in an appropriate manner. In addition GPs and other health professionals are often in contact with individuals who would benefit most from being more regularly active In support of this a number of referral options for health professionals are commissioned by NHS Hounslow. Programmes such as the NHS Health Checks in Hounslow bring these referral options together for GPs and results in patients between receiving advice on what is available to support them in being more active. Such developments have helped increase the numbers of people getting the opportunity to be physically active The national Lets Get Moving programme was piloted in Hounslow in It provided further training, support and a pathway for health professionals to raise the issue of physical activity in order to point sedentary patients towards local opportunities for being more active. As above, this produced positive results and was rolled out for a short period to other practices involved in the NHS Health Checks programme. While currently not formally commissioned in Hounslow this evidence-based approach will be developed during the life of this Strategy Two examples of other programmes currently commissioned by NHS Hounslow that specifically to do with physical activity and that will continue to be developed include: Healthy Lifestyles (Exercise Referral) allows GPs to refer individuals to a tailored exercise programme provided by Hounslow and Richmond Community Healthcare (HRCH) NHS Trust together with the boroughs leisure centres. It is for individuals who have conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, obesity and others that could benefit from undertaking more regular physical activity but who need some support and guidance. In 2010 this programme saw 212 participants complete the full 4 months. Healthy Lifestyles (Weigh to lose) is a programme of weight management support provided by HRCH NHS Trust that health professionals are able to refer into. This is a 12 week programme of structured sessions that focuses on maintaining a healthy weight. The sessions are therefore balanced between healthy eating and physical activity with half of each two hour session being devoted to being active Both examples aim to support being active long term and encourage people to move on to other activities within the community. This means that strong links need to continue to be developed with the other settings in this strategy and highlights the necessity of having strong working partnerships Hounslow Health Trainers originated from a partnership between the London Borough of Hounslow and NHS Hounslow in It works with a range of partners in the Borough aiming to promote awareness of key healthy lifestyle messages including regular physical activity. Basic training is provided to volunteer health champions who are from the many communities that make up the borough. They are then supported to cascade 20

21 this information and support in a relevant way to those around them. A key element that is focused on within this is physical activity and a number of the health champions link in with the Health Walks programme. There is also a small provision of community health trainers who are employed to work one-to-one with people who want support in improving their lifestyle and can be referred by some GPs and also self-referred. The one-to-one support often involves discussing and setting realistic goals around being more active while also signposting to locally appropriate activities that provide a more social element The Health Trainer programme is now included within the London Borough of Hounslow s universal health and wellbeing services that are commissioned and will be further developed over the course of this strategy With the greater responsibility for health improvement being given to local authorities in 2013, the period covered by this Strategy may present further opportunities for the above and similar programmes to continue to be developed in partnership with local providers and stakeholders. Actions 1. Increase the number of people pointed towards active opportunities in the borough by health professionals, health trainers and health champions. 2. Development of the Lets Get Moving programme physical activity care pathway with health professionals in the Borough. 3. Promote Hounslow travel active to patients and health professionals 4. Increase the number of people accessing exercise on referral programmes who go on to maintain longer term regular exercise. 5. Increase the number of people accessing wider lifestyle support programmes such as healthy weight and health trainer programmes who go on to maintain longer term regular exercise. 6. Explore how health programmes can link in with the large sporting events such as the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. 7. Explore the provision of additional data on physical activity and related health conditions held within the health setting to inform the development of projects and interventions. 21

22 Cross-Cutting Actions 6.39 In addition to the actions for each of the settings in this Strategy, the following have also been identified that all need to engage with: 1. Increase participation by those with a disability and develop Hounslow s Action Plan for the London Inclusive and Active 2 strategy 2. Reduce the age-related decline in participation in physical activity and sport with a particular focus on the year old age group. 3. Improve use of data, social marketing and market research to ensure activities and programmes are appropriate for and reach targeted areas and populations. 4. Promote funding and coach development opportunities like the Mayors Legacy Skills Investment Programme, which will subsidise the cost of training for people working and volunteering in sport and physical activity. 5. Jointly develop and support a programme of legacy projects for major sporting events such as the 2012 Olympics and Paralympics focusing initially on rowing, tennis, cycling and athletics. 6. Increase the amount of local information available on Get Active London for Hounslow and promote its use by all frontline staff for the signposting of active opportunities in the Borough. 22

23 7. Measuring progress 7.1 In order to assess progress of the outcomes stated in the Strategy the objectives identified within each setting will be monitored and reviewed annually. This will be done by getting wider feedback from partners that have engaged in the development of this Strategy. 7.2 This feedback will be led and compiled by the Hounslow CSPAN into an annual report that will be presented to the Health and Wellbeing board for discussion. This will also identify risks or specific difficulties that are being experienced that may hinder progress. 7.3 This reporting will compliment the available local data that will specifically identify Numbers (16+) participating on at least three days a week in moderate sport and active recreation. Numbers (16+) volunteering to support sport for at least one hour a week. Numbers (16+) of sport club members. Numbers (16+) receiving tuition in previous 12 months to improve performance Numbers (16+) participating in competition. Number of schools achieving bronze, silver and gold school games kite mark. Satisfaction with local sports provision. Active travel, walking and cycling rates. Number and level of participation of children and young people (once monitoring mechanism has been developed). Leisure centre attendance. 23

24 8. Glossary Defining the terms The terms physical activity, sport, active recreation and active living are sometimes used interchangeably. In the context of this Strategy these and other terms are used in the following way:- Physical activity is an all encompassing term that includes active living, active recreation, health related activity, exercise and play. Sport is taken to mean all forms of physical activity which through casual or organised participation, aims at expressing or improving fitness and mental wellbeing, forming social relationships or obtaining results in competition at all levels. Active living is a way of life in which physical activity is valued and integrated into daily living including active transport, gardening, everyday walking, everyday cycling, DIY. Active recreation is generally unstructured activity that individuals freely pursue in their leisure time for a sense of enjoyment that also benefits their physical, social and emotional wellbeing and includes such things as exercise, play, dance, walking, cycling and swimming for leisure. 24

25 9. Appendix 1 Strategic Context Central and local government increasingly understand the impact and role that physical activity and sport can have on improving the quality of life for people across all age ranges. This is apparent in the increasing number of national and regional strategies and programmes that focus on the importance of increasing participation: Healthy lives, Healthy people Strategy for public health England Be active, be healthy: A national physical activity strategy published by the Department of Health, London Physical activity strategy. A regional physical activity strategy published by NHS London, Places people play: is a nationwide large scale funding programme from Sport England and the British Olympic Association that focuses on the legacy of the 2012 Olympics and Paralympics, Sport England Strategy : this focuses on creating sporting habits for life with an increased focus on youth sport. Putting People First: This programme focuses on how councils and communities can transform services to provide more choice and better enable independent living NICE public health guidance on physical activity and behaviour change. A series of guidance produced by the NHS to summarise the evidence base for effective behaviour change and physical activity interventions with different populations and in different settings. Improving outcomes and supporting transparency Part 1: A public health outcomes framework for England, National Service Frameworks for Coronary Heart Disease, Diabetes, Older People, Long term Neurological conditions. NHS documents acknowledging the preventative role of physical activity within each of these conditions. The growing need for focused work on increasing participation is also apparent locally with the local authority and NHS Hounslow recognising it as a key element in the delivery of a wide range of local strategic areas. These include: Future Borough Strateg, Annual public health report, Joint Strategic Needs Assessment. LBH / NHS Hounslow 2010/11 LBH / NHS Hounslow Joint Commissioning Strategies. Parks and open spaces strategy. To be published in 2012 Children and Young Peoples Plan. LBH Healthy Weight Delivery Plan. NHS Hounslow, 2011 London Borough of Hounslow Business Plan,