Essex County Council has appointed Sport For Confidence CIC to lead a consortium of community partners to deliver place-based, therapeutic interventions that provide early help and preventative support to adults living with physical disabilities, learning disabilities and/or long-term health conditions, and their carers, through the use of physical activity.

The intervention marks a significant move by the council to support community driven health interventions that tackle health inequalities, creating person-centred physical activity opportunities available to those who traditionally find it difficult to access services and fall behind the rest of the population in terms of activity levels.

“Making services easily accessible, within local communities will be absolutely vital to the success of health and adult social care moving forwards,” explains Victoria Cornwell, Sport for Confidence Occupational therapist Lead.

"As a result, we are absolutely delighted to be working with Tendring Council to deliver much needed physical activity driven services.

“Through the provision of an Occupational Therapy service, which uses physical activity as a core component in a local leisure centre rather than clinical setting helps those involved better engage with their community and supports the development of  many life skills beyond those they gain from the sessions themselves such as self-confidence, an ability to sign in at the reception desk and an awareness of the many other activities available to then at the centre. The fact that occupational therapists, working alongside sports coaches, are on hand at every session to help and support individuals also helps participants feel more comfortable and increases the likelihood they will return for subsequent sessions and maintain their new habit longer term."

In 2020, Sport for Confidence worked with Essex County Council Adult Social Care, Active Essex and a wider consortium of community partners to deliver the Prevention and Enablement Model, a 2-year test and learn pilot, initially funded by Sport England, that studied the impact of a whole system approach to adult social health and social care. The evidence was overwhelmingly positive. Outcomes, independently compiled and verified by the University of Essex, confirmed that embedding physical activity into a whole system approach to adult health and social care could deliver £58.72 of social value per £1 invested.

Evidencing the commercial and holistic case for introducing a more supportive and preventative approach to adult health and social care laid the foundations for a new county-wide approach creating therapeutic physical activity opportunities to drive occupational outcomes that result in heath, happiness and life satisfaction.

Mick Barry is Cabinet Member for Leisure and Public Realm at Tendring District Council, which runs Clacton Leisure Centre.

Councillor Barry said: “Leisure centres have a huge potential role to play in helping those who need it most to embed physical activity into their lifestyle, ultimately driving many positive mental, health and social outcomes.

“The Reconnect model enables the leisure sector to work closer and more effectively with the health sector through placement of occupational therapists within our buildings, as a part of our team.

“Our aim is to work with our partners to improve the quality of life of our residents and this joined-up approach, created by Reconnect, is a step in the right direction.”

Jeanette Bain-Burnett, Executive Director Policy and Integrity, Sport England, says: “The Reconnect programme will create a fully integrated physical activity pathway which ultimately supports good health, while preventing ill health. In targeting those who traditionally struggle to get physically active, the programme is absolutely aligned to the ambitions of our 10 year Uniting the Movement strategy.”

To find out more about the Prevention and Enablement Model and to access the full evaluation Report, visit: https://www.sportforconfidence.com/our-services/prevention-enablement-model/

For more information about Sport for Confidence visit: https://www.sportforconfidence.com/

For more information about Clacton Leisure Centre visit: www.tendringleisure.co.uk