Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust (NFT) has committed to promoting physical activity to improve patient wellbeing and recovery following a successful pilot.
Specifically, this is to combat deconditioning (a decline in physical and mental function when people are inactive for a period of time). Deconditioning can lead to:
- Half (50%) of patients experiencing a functional decline between admission and discharge.
- Patients spending up to 83% of their time in bed, while 60% have no documented reason to explain why they are on bed rest.
- Patients losing 40% of their muscle strength during the first week in hospital with deconditioning causing delays in getting people home in nearly half of older patients.
Solutions included:
- Physical activity and movement posters in wards and on TV screens
- The development of active trails in and around the hospital campus
- Setting ‘active actions’ for patients in hospital, such as: getting out of bed and sitting in a chair, washing and dressing themselves, walking around the ward (can be assisted), and completing gentle exercises throughout the day
- Setting ‘active actions’ for patients once discharged from hospital, such as: moving from a bed to a chair, walking to the end of their road, or going to an organised class at a local leisure centre
- Staff completing Physical Activity Clinical Champions training to support staff to have more effective conversations about physical activity with their patients