The Faculty of Sport and Exercise Medicine UK and Nuffield Health have launched a new digital platform aimed at helping people with long-term conditions become more physically active.
The website, Moving Medicine for Everybody, offers evidence-based advice, digital tools and coaching to support people to increase activity levels and manage symptoms through movement.
Its launch marks the latest phase of the wider Moving Medicine programme, which was established to help healthcare professionals incorporate physical activity into routine care.
The organisations behind the initiative said physical inactivity costs the UK economy an estimated £7.4bn a year, including around £1bn in NHS costs, while more than half of UK adults are living with at least one long-term condition.
They also pointed to rising levels of economic inactivity linked to ill health, citing figures showing that 2.8 million people are out of work due to long-term sickness, with spending on sickness and disability benefits forecast to rise by £30bn by 2028/29.
The platform has been developed by the Faculty of Sport and Exercise Medicine UK and Nuffield Health in partnership with Sport England and the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities.
It provides practical guidance on physical activity, interactive digital coaching and resources developed with patients and health charities.
Dr Natasha Jones, clinical director of Moving Medicine and president of the Faculty of Sport and Exercise Medicine, said the platform had been created to provide practical support for people living with long-term conditions who may struggle to become more active.
She said: ‘People with long-term conditions are often told to “be more active”. While this is good medical advice, we know that living with the symptoms of long term conditions makes activity very challenging, even frightening.’
Dr Davina Deniszczyc, charity and medical director at Nuffield Health, said the initiative aimed to make physical activity a more accessible part of treatment for people with long-term conditions.
She said: ‘Movement should be recognised and adopted as a go-to treatment option for people living with long-term conditions.’
Moving Medicine was founded by the Faculty of Sport and Exercise Medicine in 2018 in partnership with Public Health England and Sport England. Its resources are endorsed by a range of national organisations, including the Academy of Royal Colleges and the Royal College of General Practitioners.
