Training for health professionals

Physical activity as a route to better health

Moving more can help transform people’s wellbeing and create fitter, healthier and happier communities. This has never been more important than during the coronavirus pandemic, which added to challenges brought by growing levels of obesity, diabetes, mental health problems and other conditions exacerbated by inactivity.

Support for health professionals

We want to work with health providers to champion the benefits of moving more as a tool to help prevent and manage conditions. Our goal is to give you what you need to become an advocate for physical activity to your clients / community.

The training below helps to provide professionals with the skills and insight required to have positive conversations about physical activity.

If physical activity were a drug, we would refer to it as a miracle cure, due to the great many illnesses it can prevent and help treat.

- UK CMO Physical Activity Guidelines, Sept 2019

Available courses

Social Prescriber & Link Worker training

Being active is a key component of social prescribing that gets people moving, keeps them connected, able to work, able to volunteer and gets them out of the house. This training ensures that physical activity is an integral part of social prescribing and highlights local opportunities for getting clients moving more.

Raising the Issue of Weight

This course is designed to assist individuals working with children and young people to raise the issue of weight. The training provides learners with information and skills to identify excess weight and obesity, using the UK Standard Child Growth Charts, and to briefly assess key lifestyle factors such as diet and physical activity.

Delegates will be encouraged to use brief intervention skills to sensitively raise the issue of weight and empower the family to make healthier lifestyle choices. Attendees will also be made aware of Surrey’s Child Weight Management service - Be Your Best - and how to refer/signpost.

Clinical Champions training

FREE peer to peer online training for healthcare professionals in Surrey on how activity can help in the management of long term conditions. Led by an expert Physical Activity Champion. Endorsed by Public Health and Sport England.

Around one in three men and half of women are not achieving recommended levels of activity for good health, with people with long term conditions twice as likely to be amongst the least active.

Physical activity is incorporated across NICE clinical guidance, with evidence suggesting one in four people would be more active if advised by a GP or nurse¹. However 70-80% of GPs do not speak about the benefits of physical activity to patients². For some healthcare professionals this can be associated with knowledge gaps or a lack of confidence in raising the issue, something which this short course can help alleviate.

If you're still not sure if this is for you, check out this blog featuring two health professionals talking about the training they provide as Champions, or email us for further details and future dates.

Next training date: Fri 29 Jan,12.30-2pm. Book here for free

^1,2 Source: PHE Jan 2020

Physical Activity Awareness training (tailored for target audiences)

This course is targeted at those working with the least active, or those who would benefit most from moving more.

Attendees will gain an understanding of the importance of physical activity for good physical and mental wellbeing, current physical activity guidelines, how to have positive conversations about being physically active and receive signposting to local opportunities.

Training can be tailored to meet the needs of attendees from practicing professionals to carers and volunteers, providing guidance on how physical activity can benefit specific conditions or audiences. It has has previously been delivered to Diabetes Champions and Mental Health Buddies, and can be offered either face to face or virtually.

Improving Pupils' Mental Wellbeing through Physical Activity

This course is principally aimed at primary school Wellbeing Leads.

Research from 2017 suggests one in eight (12.8%) 5-19 year olds now have a diagnosable mental health illness¹. As children spend so much of their time in schools, teachers and support staff are in a prime position to help children build strong mental health and physical activity can play a key role.

This 90 minute virtual training session provides school staff with an understanding of the impact of physical activity on mental health, the importance of incorporating movement into school life and how to empower young people to want to move more.

Book a free space on a Dec course for 'Improving pupils' mental health through PA'

¹ Source: NHS Digital Nov 2018

Need to find out more?

To discuss dates, costs or find out if a course is suitable for you - or even just tell us the sort of help/insight you and your team need to solve a patient issue that could be solved by moving more - please contact Laura White or Charlotte Long

Health-related training