As a practice nurse working in West Kent, I have been passionate about promoting the benefits of physical activity (PA) to my colleagues and patients.
I have been working for Public Health England as a PA Clinical Champion (PACC) delivering free Peer to Peer training sessions to GP surgeries and clinics, to both qualified and student HCPs, including Practice Nurses, Health Visitors, GPs, specialist hospital teams, etc.
The sessions are also delivered with the help of local activity providers, such as One You or Everyday Active Champions, so that HCPs are aware what is available in their area.
Held using video conferencing software, the session aims to improve HCP’s knowledge, skills and confidence so they can deliver physical activity brief interventions to patients as part of their routine clinical care. The session is interactive and comprises a review of epidemiological and biological evidence, supplemented by a small group discussion.
The length can be varied according to the time available, but a minimum of 60 minutes is required. Sessions can be offered for up to 3 hours in length, although in an online format we would tend to recommend no more than 90 minutes. We request a minimum of 12-15 Healthcare Professional attendees for the session to provide the best value. Other professionals are welcome to attend, including link workers, care navigators, practice managers, etc., if the minimum number of HCPs is achieved.
You will need to provide potential date/s and a team who would like to receive the training. Please contact me for more information and I can put you in touch with your local PACC. Also worth checking out:
https://movingmedicine.ac.uk/ – excellent resources for HCPs whether they have only time for a brief conversation (1min) or longer and covering a range of LTC’s including pregnancy, COPD or dementia
https://www.e-lfh.org.uk/new-e-learning-programme-to-champion-physical-activity-for-patients-launched/ – elFH also have a selection of e-learning resources
Sally Retallick
Primary Care Network Lead Nurse (Weald)
Clinical Champion for Physical Activity
Physical Activity for the Management and Prevention of Long-Term Conditions: PACC Flier August 2020 (1)
