Dr William Bird, MBE was the Keynote speaker at the Get physical — be active, stay healthy conference held on Wednesday 9 December 2015 in Oxford. The event explored how to encourage NHS staff and patients to incorporate physical activity into their daily lives.
This conference fits with the ‘NHS 5-year Forward View’ which stresses the importance of NHS staff health and wellbeing on improving the health of NHS staff.
“[The NHS] can, and should now become, a more activist agent of health-related social change.” Said Simon Stevens Chief Executive, NHS England
“NHS staff have some of the most critical but demanding jobs in the country. When it comes to supporting the health of our own workforce, frankly the NHS needs to put its own house in order.”
Event partners Public Health England led a workshop focused on the health and wellbeing of NHS staff. Contributions from NHS trusts and industry illustrated successful workplace initiatives.
Additional workshops focused on the role of physical activity in the prevention or management of a number of conditions including: anxiety and depression, early psychosis, dementia, diabetes, obesity and cancer.
Get Physical was hosted by the Oxford Academic Health Science Network in partnership with Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire County Sports Partnership, and Public Health England.
Dr Bird explained why he attended saying “Physical activity is the most important intervention we can do in health. As a GP it’s just good clinical medicine to get people active because it covers 23 long term conditions; both preventing them and treating them.”
View Dr Bird’s interview at the conference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zwYkx7PeqLI
