*New Conversation guide now available for download*
Our Physical Activity Strategy
A Movement for Movement
'Our Dorset – A Movement for Movement' is the physical activity strategy for BCP and Dorset. It sets out why we need to make change, what we need to focus on, and how we can do it. Our aim is to support everyone to move a little more every day, in ways that work for them while tailoring that support towards those who can benefit most from moving more.
Moving more isn't the goal in itself; it will play its part in improving wellbeing for all of us living in Bournemouth, Christchurch, Poole and Dorset. To achieve this we will need to work as a system to build a narrative around movement that inspires and empowers everyone to move a little more and sit a little less.
'A Movement for Movement' presents a direction of travel for our shared approach in Dorset. It recognises that no single organisation holds all the answers or can take all the action needed to tackle inactivity. We are all actors in the system that shapes how much we move and we can all make change, in our lives, the lives of our families and friends and our communities.
This is our call to action. To work together to find the levers to enable more movement for everyone. To embed movement in everything we do, in every decision we make, no matter how big or small.
Our Opportunity
While not moving enough (inactivity) poses risks for all of us, both as individuals and as a society, becoming more active (moving more) offers real opportunities. Regularly moving our bodies in whatever way works for us can significantly reduce the risk we face of developing a number of health conditions.
In Dorset, our Councils, NHS, public services and voluntary and community groups have come together to work as an integrated health and care system (ICS). The ICS aims to remove traditional barriers between services so people can access the support and care that they need when they need it.
An important part of this is supporting people and communities to lead healthy, thriving lives and addressing health inequalities. Meeting this challenge will require change from all these partners and supporting people across Dorset to move more is an opportunity for us all as organisations, communities and individuals.
How we work
A whole systems approach
Whole systems work is integral to the strategy, which recognises that physical activity levels are affected by a complex system of influences and no single organisation or programme can create sustainable change at scale. Many aspects of modern life make it harder to live a healthy and active life: convenience food, sedentary jobs with long hours, the types of transport on offer and even the entertainment that is most easily accessible are all designed to keep us sitting down.
With such a complex problem we must address the policy, environmental, social and individual factors that encourage or prevent active lives. This may sound fairly straightforward but in reality it relies on everyone making it their mission to get others moving: employers, school and hospital staff, town planners, GP practices and community centres can all influence how much people move everyday.
Our enablers
Our strategic partners
We are asking all our ICS partners and any organisations working in Dorset and BCP to sign up as a partner, pledging their commitment to help us create a Movement for Movement across the county.
The strategy seeks to empower individuals and organisations to take action, providing a framework for our collective approach whilst allowing organisations to decide how they can make change. Sign up as a partner today by clicking on 'Join Our Movement' below.
Join our Movement
We are always looking for new partners to join us in our Movement for Movement. Sign up as a partner today.
Public Health Dorset
Public Health Dorset aims to improve and protect the health and wellbeing of the population across Dorset with an emphasis on reducing health inequalities by providing a shared service across Dorset Council and BCP Council.
Their aim is to help as many people as possible stay healthier for longer. They do this through commissioning public health services and taking a health in all policies partnership approach.
Health in all policies is about recognising the potential public health benefits that can be achieved through council services. They work with teams looking at embedding prevention approaches where they can.
NHS Dorset
NHS Dorset is the public name of NHS Dorset Integrated Care Board (ICB). NHS Dorset will undertake the statutory responsibilities of the Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) and will also be responsible for planning to meet the health care needs of people and communities in Dorset.
"We will make sure that as part of the pathway review and strategic commissioning we embed prevention, and work with voluntary sectors and partners in Dorset to increase the number of people with lower limb ulcers to access opportunities to increase their movement."
Dorset Healthcare University NHS Foundation Trust
Dorset HealthCare is responsible for all mental health services and many physical health services in Dorset, delivering both hospital and community-based care.
Our vision is to be Better Every Day through excellence, compassion and expertise in all we do. This guides us and provides a single common thought that applies not only to the experience and outcomes of our patients, but also to our staff. We know that when our staff feel healthy and well they can be at their best at home and at work.
As one of the largest organisations within the Dorset ICS we would like to become a strategic partner to showing our commitment to the movement and to encouraging our staff and the population we serve to move more and experience the benefits that come with that.
Dorset HealthCare will:
- Embrace the language of 'daily movement' in wellbeing communications and messaging.
- Share information with our staff about how they can build moving more into their daily work and home life.
- Offer Active Dorset training to our large network of Health and Wellbeing Champions and our Managers to help them to support and encourage our workforce to move more.
Active Dorset
Active Dorset takes a collaborative approach to embed system changes so that business as usual for system partners supports people to be more active.
Active Dorset want sport and physical activity to be recognised for the positive impact it has through improved physical and mental wellbeing, educational attainment, social cohesion and economic development on the lives of the people in Dorset.
Dorset Council
Dorset Council is a unitary local authority in England covering most of the ceremonial county of Dorset. It was created on 1st April 2019 to administer most of the area formerly administered by Dorset County Council, which was previously subdivided into the districts of Weymouth and Portland, West Dorset, North Dorset, Purbeck, and East Dorset, as well as Christchurch, which is now part of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole.
Our Dorset
Our Dorset is the name of our Integrated Care System (ICS).
Integrated care is about removing traditional barriers between services so people can access the support and care they need when they need it. An ICS brings NHS organisations, councils, public services and voluntary and community partners together to improve the health and wellbeing of everyone in their area.
Dorset became one of England's first pilot ICS's in 2018, and this way of working is now being replicated across the country.
BCP Council
We want the BCP region to be world class – one of the best coastal places in the world in which to live, work, invest and play.
We want to harness the potential of our coastline of opportunity and make BCP a place where people and businesses want to be – because:
- of the vibrancy of our communities
- the strength of our economy
- the skills of our people
- the wealth of our culture and the quality of our infrastructure
- our environment and quality of life.
We know that to achieve our vision, we need a Big Plan that reflects the scale of our ambition.
Dorset LNP
The Dorset LNP brings together a wide range of partners in public, private and voluntary sectors across the Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole and Dorset council areas. It exists to maximise the benefits to be gained from protecting and enhancing the unique natural assets of the area for people, wildlife and businesses.
Central Bournemouth PCN
Already taking part in the Active Practice Trailblazer, Central Bournemouth PCN are seeking to continue and expand on this by taking a population health management approach to setting up a number of patient peer groups having already done so for Diabetes, Menopause and Carers. They would like to encourage physical activity and moving more within these groups as a way of empowering their patients.
Individual Strategic Partners
As well as organisations, we welcome individual pledges of support. No single organisation has all the answers, but people do have differing influences, which could help us to open more doors to help build movement into everyday life.
Partner name
Role
Organisation
Be the first to sign up as an individual partner.
A Movement for Movement | Resources
Help to share and support our Physical Activity Strategy we have created a set of resources for use when producing content and social media posts.
Physical Activity Strategy (PDF, 3.9 Mb)Download our Physical Activity strategy, A Movement for Movement
Resource Pack (Zip Archive, 4.9 Mb)Download our Movement for Movement logo, and other assets to help support our strategy
Language and Communications guide (PDF, 1.2 Mb)Embedding the language of ‘daily movement’ in communications and messaging is key. Use this language guide to help you tailor your messaging.
*New* Conversation guide (PDF, 714 Kb)This guide is designed to be a practical resource for anyone in a public facing role, to help you provide advice, support and encouragement to support the people you work with to move more.