Intelligent Health UK

It's our last day in the office today, ready to indulge in our Christmas celebrations tomorrow... 🎄 We would like to wish everyone who celebrates a very merry Christmas and thank all our followers for their support in 2024! We will be back from Thursday 2 January. We've got lots planned for 2025 and we look forward to working with our partners in the new year. Best wishes, The Intelligent Health Team ✨

A healthier, happier future starts with creating health, not just treating illness. We envision an NHS where prevention takes priority and health is built in our communities, not just hospitals. In the next decade, we believe every child should grow up active, resilient, and healthy, supported by systems that embed movement into daily life. Our vision focuses on: ✅ Empowering communities to lead healthier lives through physical activity ✅ Creating resilient, connected neighbourhoods where health begins before illness strikes. Solutions like Beat the Street and Social Prescribing have already shown us what’s possible, engaging millions of people, shifting behaviours, linking individuals to community based activities and transforming lives. Read our response to the government's NHS 10 year health plan consultation: https://lnkd.in/ehaqX7Q4 #HealthCreation #CommunityHealth #PreventionFirst #ResilientCommunities #PhysicalActivity

🎄 As we wrap up the year, we want to extend a huge thank you to everyone who has supported Intelligent Health this year! Together we’ve made strides towards building healthier, more active communities. Some key milestones this year: Policy Progress: From launching our nature access policy postcards to submitting evidence to the LUHC Select Committee and multiple consultations, we’ve amplified our influence at policymaking levels. 🚶 Beat the Street Highlights: ⭐ 17 game locations ⭐452 schools & 537 community teams ⭐143,241 participants ⭐Over 1.2 million miles travelled, with 55,069 participants from the 40% most deprived areas. ⭐1,298,229 miles travelled Huge thank you to you all for being part of our journey! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

50% of disabled people fear losing their benefits if they are seen as physically active. It's a difficult Catch-22. Many disabled individuals rely on benefits to afford activities that could improve their well-being, but if they are perceived as too active, they risk being accused of fraud and losing their support. Last week, Activity Alliance launched a new strategy aimed at ensuring disabled people feel they belong in sport. I’d like to take this opportunity to highlight the important work they are doing by sharing their latest strategy report below. Please take a moment to read it if you can.

For years, Playing Out and a few key allies have been shouting about children's loss of freedom to play out on their doorstep and the damaging impact this has had for a whole generation, especially those who have the least. Now many others have joined the fight. And, finally, we are being heard in the corridors of power! We are especially thankful to MPs Ian Byrne and Clive Betts who have become real champions of this issue in parliament following their committee's inquiry on children, young people and the built environment. Ian spoke powerfully at the Town and Country Planning Association (TCPA) House of Lords launch event yesterday, recalling that when the topic was first proposed, some on the committee questioned "whether this was really important". He and Clive, having grown up in Liverpool and Sheffield respectively, both knew it was. "Looking back, we realised how lucky we were. We didn't have two ha'pennies to rub together but we had freedom and green spaces, and we were healthy, and I absolutely adored it". Now, they see the huge opportunity to design this childhood freedom, outdoor play and health IN to the 1.5 million new homes the Government intends to build, alongside other policy measures. Huge thanks again to TCPA for hosting and all who came yesterday, including Carla Denyer MP. We are very excited to work with this growing network of politicians, organisations and individuals towards achieving fundamental change for all children. Join us! Dinah Bornat Helen Griffiths FRSA Fields in Trust Tim Gill Gemma Hyde Julia Thrift Harriet Grant Dr Jennifer Wills Lamacq Wendy Russell Xavier Brice Sustrans Jenny Rutherford Sally Watson Helen Forman Katherine Knight Dr William Bird MBE Amy Burbidge Dulce Pedroso Alice Ferguson Ingrid Skeels Alison Stenning

Our team is at the SPARC Conference today, sharing findings from Beat the Street in Scotland: “Mind the Gap: Reducing Inequalities in Physical Activity—Promoting Walking Through an Inclusive Behaviour Change Intervention.” ⭐ Key Highlights from the Data: • 15% modal shift to walking for young girls from deprived areas. • 5% overall modal shift to walking among participants. • Significant reduction in motorised travel, especially for women and girls in deprived communities, including those with long-term conditions. • Walking frequency for leisure increased by 0.5 days for children and 0.4 days for adults, with females seeing the greatest increases. ⭐ Why It Matters: Beat the Street is making walking, wheeling, and cycling the go-to choice for shorter journeys. By prioritising inclusive behaviour change, we’re improving active travel, improving mental and physical health, and contributing to cleaner air and less congestion. Since 2015, Intelligent Health has proudly delivered Beat the Street in Scotland, transforming active travel behaviours in partnership with councils and funding for active travel and clean air initiatives. Read more below 👇 #SPARCConference2024 #BeatTheStreet #InclusiveHealth #ActiveTravel #WalkingForHealth #HealthEquity #SustainableCommunities #PublicHealth #ReducingInequalities

Sports Governing Body of the year for Rounders England. I am so proud of the whole team, building our strategy and growing the game with the rounders community. I honestly believe it’s that collaborative, purpose-led approach that helped us receive this acknowledgment at the Sports Business Awards. It’s also what the judges felt. Commenting on Rounders England’s change in membership offer for schools, the judges said: “This feels bold; with the step to free access resources a purpose-led decision. The results appear to have rewarded the approach so far and the increase in state school engagement feels significant.” We feel this is another step in the right direction but we need help to keep driving forward. If anyone is looking to work to tackle inequalities, build active communities, bring people together using the power of movement then we want to hear from you. Natalie Justice-Dearn (She/her) Natalie Ward Karen Harvey Georgina Crossman Peter Kirk Alison S. Brett Bader Daren Carter Leesa Haydock Jon Alexander Irenie Ekkeshis Phil Smith Jeanette Bain-Burnett It was a special treat to receive the award from the fantastic Eniola Aluko MBE https://lnkd.in/eE9M5NkD Intelligent Health UK Sport England Sport for Development Coalition Active Partnerships #unitingthemovement #sba24 #roundersreconnected

Our CEO Dr Dr William Bird MBE attended the Town and Country Planning Association (TCPA) event today, Raising the Healthiest Generation in History, at the House of Lords. This event, which presents evidence and recommendations from the Levelling Up Committee’s inquiry into improving the health and wellbeing of children and young people, aligns with Intelligent Health’s mission to create healthier, more connected communities.   As part of our submission to the Raising the Nation Play Commission, we advocated for policies that create accessible spaces for children to play and be active. We believe that urban design should prioritise the needs of children, supporting their physical and mental wellbeing through active play and engagement with their environment. #HealthiestGeneration #ChildWellbeing #ActiveCommunities #UrbanDesignForHealth #HealthySpaces #PlayMatters #ConnectedCommunities #HealthAndWellbeing #PolicyForChange #InclusiveDesign #FutureGenerations #LevellingUp #ChildHealth #ActivePlay #SustainableCommunities

Today, on #InternationalDayofDisabledPeople, we stand with Activity Alliance as they reveal powerful new research on the transformative impact of physical activity for disabled people. The report highlights that enabling disabled people to meet Chief Medical Officers’ guidelines for activity could generate £6,200 in social value per person annually—three to four times the value for non-disabled individuals. Even light activity creates significant value, emphasising the need to break down systemic barriers to participation. Read more below: https://lnkd.in/e2QhNXvm

🌿 Introducing our latest policy postcard: Tackle Health Inequalities 🌿 Health inequalities across the UK are stark—life expectancy can vary dramatically depending on where you live. However, access to green space has been proven to significantly reduce these gaps. ⭐ Shared with: Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government ✅ Government mission: Build an NHS fit for the future Research shows that good-quality green spaces in deprived areas have the greatest impact in closing the health divide between the richest and poorest communities. Green space reduces stress, supports children’s brain development, and improves overall wellbeing. By prioritising equitable access to nature, we can create healthier, more connected communities. To tackle health inequalities, we recommend: 1️⃣ Amending the National Planning Policy Framework to make public health a priority, ensuring green and blue spaces are protected and created in urban areas. 2️⃣ Launching a social marketing campaign to encourage use of green and blue spaces among communities least likely to visit. 3️⃣ Making public safety a focus by ensuring urban green spaces are well-lit, effectively designed, and properly maintained. A fairer, healthier future is possible when access to nature is prioritised for all. #TackleHealthInequalities #NatureForHealth #PolicySolutions #IntelligentHealth #IntelligentHealth #NaturallyHealthyBritain Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs | Rt Hon Steve Reed OBE MP