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Issue - decisions

Physical Activity Programmes Grants for District and Borough and SHIFT to March 2023

23/12/2021 - PHYSICAL ACTIVITY PROGRAMME GRANTS FOR DISTRICT AND BOROUGH AND SHIFT TO MARCH 2023

The Cabinet Member for Health and Communities sought approval to extend the physical activity grant funding for Exercise by Referral, Walk Derbyshire and Active Fostering services delivered by district and borough councils from 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2023 and to extend the grant funding for Jog Derbyshire, delivered by SHIFT for the same period.

 

Exercise by Referral was a 12-week programme for inactive adults with specific health conditions.  More recently, cancer and Long Covid had been added to the criteria. The programme equipped people to be more active in their local leisure centre or through other community-based activity.  Face-to-face provision was paused due to Covid-19 restrictions so providers adapted the service, delivering online content, developing home-based programmes and providing 1 to 1 support via telephone and video.  Face-to-face provision was now back in place and numbers were steadily increasing, with a new pathway developed for individuals who had been diagnosed with Long Covid.

 

Walk Derbyshire funding had focussed on growing the network of supported walks for inactive people.  It included developing more family-friendly organised walk opportunities and supporting people with physical and mental health conditions, dementia and their carers and buggy walks that enable new mothers to socialise and be active.  Covid-19 caused disruption to the walking groups.  Now those restrictions had lifted, groups had been reinstated and would link closely with the new Walk Derbyshire programme and Active Neighbourhoods Pilot, funded through the Public Health Investment Fund.

 

Active Fostering supported initiatives to engage Looked After Children and their families in physical activity.  This included leisure centre access which was supplemented by new and diverse activity opportunities. This was a priority area given that physical activity was one way to support children to develop skills and confidence.  Approximately 300 fostering households in Derbyshire had a leisure pass, 90 of which accessed activities through the scheme on a weekly basis.  Over 20 Children in Care had learnt to swim in the year to March 2020 and, the annual fostering survey showed over 90% of respondents gave Active Fostering the highest possible rating.

 

Jog Derbyshire worked with people to become more active through jogging regardless of age or ability, led by qualified jog leaders.  There were 51 Jog Derbyshire groups established including groups affiliated to GP practices and workplaces.

 

The pandemic had seen a reduction in physical activity levels, disproportionately affecting those aged over 55 and those with a disability or long-term condition.

 

The grant agreements would be replaced with a wider physical activity commissioning model that was being explored.  Due to the complexity of pulling together the whole physical activity system with a comprehensive needs assessment to inform a collaborative commissioning approach, coupled with Covid-19 pressures, the hoped start date of April 2022 could not be achieved.  Extending the funding for the current service provision would enable continuation of these services to support residents, while engaging with stakeholders to develop a future model.

 

RESOLVED – that Cabinet approves (1) the extension of the existing physical activity grant funding for Exercise by Referral, Walk Derbyshire and Active Fostering services delivered by district and borough councils from 01 April 2022 to 31 March 2023 to the sum of £0.422m; and (2) the extension of the existing grant funding for Jog Derbyshire delivered by SHIFT from 01 April 2022 to 31 March 2023 to the sum of £0.050m.