Healthy Ageing: physical activity in an ageing society

Health and Social Care Committee Open Inquiry
Opened: 26 Jun 2025 Parliament page
The Committee is undertaking an inquiry into the role of physical activity in improving the health and wellbeing of our older population. Progress on improving healthy life expectancy in England has stalled and people are spending longer living with ill health in their older years. Physical activity can help prevent … Read more
12 Recommendations
15 Conclusions
1 Report
3 Oral sessions
3 Events
Activity timeline 7 events
22 May
2026
Report published
10 Dec
2025
Oral evidence
10 Dec
2025
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · The Thatcher Room, Portcullis House
12 Nov
2025
Oral evidence
12 Nov
2025
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · The Wilson Room, Portcullis House
29 Oct
2025
Oral evidence
29 Oct
2025
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · The Grimond Room, Portcullis House
Oral evidence sessions 3 sessions
10 Dec 2025
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Oral Evidence
Bethany Badrock · Greater Manchester Combined Authority Charlotte Osborn-Forde · National Academy for Social Prescribing Graeme Sinnott · Active Partnerships National Organisation Huw Edwards · UKactive Jeanette Bain-Burnett · Sport England Ryan Hughes · Active Norfolk Siobhan Farmer · Gloucestershire County Council
12 Nov 2025
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Oral Evidence
Adam Blaze · Activity Alliance Emma Hutchins · Richmond Group of Charities Professor Chris Todd · NIHR Policy Research Unit in Healthy Ageing Professor Dawn Skelton · Glasgow Caledonian University Professor Elizabeth Orton · The University of Nottingham Professor Martin Green OBE · Care England
29 Oct 2025
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Oral Evidence
Dr Carole Easton · Centre for Ageing Better Dr Lis Boulton · Age UK Professor Chris Whitty · Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) Sir Muir Gray · University of Oxford
Title HC No. Published Items Response
8th Report – Healthy Ageing: physical activity in an ageing soci… HC 1180 22 May 2026 27 Pending
Recommendations & Conclusions
27 results
1 Conclusion
8th Report – Healthy Ageing: physi…
Physical activity remains insufficiently prioritised across health and care systems despite its clear contribution to...
Physical activity remains insufficiently prioritised across health and care systems despite its clear contribution to preventing illness, improving population health and reducing inequalities. While some integrated care boards (ICBs) have embedded physical activity into strategies, this is not yet consistent … Read more
Department of Health and Social Care
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2 Conclusion
8th Report – Healthy Ageing: physi…
The Department should require ICBs to embed physical activity as a core preventive intervention within...
The Department should require ICBs to embed physical activity as a core preventive intervention within population health strategies. ICBs should demonstrate how physical activity is being integrated into healthy ageing, long-term condition management and health inequalities frameworks, with clear accountability … Read more
Department of Health and Social Care
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3 Conclusion
8th Report – Healthy Ageing: physi…
Physical activity can be more effective than drugs in preventing, treating and managing many long-term...
Physical activity can be more effective than drugs in preventing, treating and managing many long-term conditions. Health and care professionals have an important role in encouraging and supporting people to include physical activity in the management of their health. Conversations … Read more
Department of Health and Social Care
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4 Recommendation
8th Report – Healthy Ageing: physi…
We recommend that the Department work with integrated care boards (ICBs) to develop a national...
We recommend that the Department work with integrated care boards (ICBs) to develop a national roll-out of existing best-practice models to support clinicians to have conversations about physical activity with patients, particularly older patients. This should include a communication strategy … Read more
Department of Health and Social Care
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5 Recommendation
8th Report – Healthy Ageing: physi…
In addition, we recommend that ICBs explore methods for increasing investment in the prescription of...
In addition, we recommend that ICBs explore methods for increasing investment in the prescription of physical activity as part of a broader shift towards prevention. This should be pursued alongside appropriate clinical treatments, ensuring patients benefit from the full range … Read more
Department of Health and Social Care
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6 Conclusion
8th Report – Healthy Ageing: physi…
Frailty is not an inevitable or irreversible aspect of ageing, and early intervention offers significant...
Frailty is not an inevitable or irreversible aspect of ageing, and early intervention offers significant opportunities to prevent or slow its progression. Exercise programmes can reverse frailty, reduce the risk of developing dementia and improve outcomes for people living with … Read more
Department of Health and Social Care
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7 Recommendation
8th Report – Healthy Ageing: physi…
We recommend that as part of the Modern Service Framework (MSF) for frailty and dementia,...
We recommend that as part of the Modern Service Framework (MSF) for frailty and dementia, the government identifies and sets clear standards for delivering exercise programmes to prevent and reverse frailty. This should include a requirement for integrated care boards … Read more
Department of Health and Social Care
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8 Conclusion
8th Report – Healthy Ageing: physi…
Addressing inequalities in healthy life expectancy will require integrated care boards (ICBs) to take a...
Addressing inequalities in healthy life expectancy will require integrated care boards (ICBs) to take a targeted approach with specific interventions targeting communities where inactivity and poor health outcomes are most concentrated. Successful development of population health delivery methods, using hyper-local … Read more
Department of Health and Social Care
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9 Recommendation
8th Report – Healthy Ageing: physi…
We welcome the publication of the model ICB blueprint and the intention that ICBs will...
We welcome the publication of the model ICB blueprint and the intention that ICBs will move towards population health delivery models, which should support more targeted intervention to address health inequalities in 42 ageing. In its response to this report, … Read more
Department of Health and Social Care
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10 Recommendation
8th Report – Healthy Ageing: physi…
Partnerships between health services and the physical activity sector can deliver effective programmes in local...
Partnerships between health services and the physical activity sector can deliver effective programmes in local settings, support long-term condition management and improve older people’s health and wellbeing. Expanding these approaches could also ease pressure on hospital-based services and support the … Read more
Department of Health and Social Care
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11 Conclusion
8th Report – Healthy Ageing: physi…
The Department should develop a national framework to support integrated care boards and local authorities...
The Department should develop a national framework to support integrated care boards and local authorities to commission and scale health interventions delivered in leisure and physical activity settings. This should include preventive, treatment and long-term condition management programmes to support … Read more
Department of Health and Social Care
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12 Conclusion
8th Report – Healthy Ageing: physi…
If the NHS is serious about prevention, it seems perverse to reduce support for social...
If the NHS is serious about prevention, it seems perverse to reduce support for social prescribing. The benefits of social prescribing will only be realised at scale if it is recognised by the Department as a core mechanism for increasing … Read more
Department of Health and Social Care
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13 Conclusion
8th Report – Healthy Ageing: physi…
The Department should assess whether the overall funding, infrastructure and training available to social prescribing...
The Department should assess whether the overall funding, infrastructure and training available to social prescribing are sufficient to reflect its growing role in promoting physical activity and reducing demand 43 on health services and set out how it will ensure … Read more
Department of Health and Social Care
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14 Recommendation
8th Report – Healthy Ageing: physi…
We were disappointed to hear of the reduced support that NHS England is providing for...
We were disappointed to hear of the reduced support that NHS England is providing for social prescribing. This is directly impacting on the quality of related training and development for link workers. As part of the ongoing merger between NHS … Read more
Department of Health and Social Care
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15 Conclusion
8th Report – Healthy Ageing: physi…
The voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) sector plays a vital role in engaging older...
The voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) sector plays a vital role in engaging older people—particularly those at greatest risk of inactivity and poor health. However, VCSE organisations lack sustainable funding to plan for the future and continue delivering the … Read more
Department of Health and Social Care
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16 Conclusion
8th Report – Healthy Ageing: physi…
We welcome the intention in the strategic commissioning framework for integrated care boards (ICB) to...
We welcome the intention in the strategic commissioning framework for integrated care boards (ICB) to treat VCSE organisations as partners in the development and delivery of a neighbourhood health service. In its response to this report, we ask that the … Read more
Department of Health and Social Care
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17 Conclusion
8th Report – Healthy Ageing: physi…
Physical activity must be recognised as an essential part of adult social care delivery—not an...
Physical activity must be recognised as an essential part of adult social care delivery—not an optional additional leisure activity. Equal weight must be given to the risks of inactivity as to the benefits of staying active so that older people … Read more
Department of Health and Social Care
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18 Recommendation
8th Report – Healthy Ageing: physi…
We recommend that Baroness Casey, as part of the Independent Commission on Adult Social Care,...
We recommend that Baroness Casey, as part of the Independent Commission on Adult Social Care, prioritise opportunities for physical activity to support a new, prevention-focused vision for the system. This should identify how government can support the social care sector … Read more
Department of Health and Social Care
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19 Conclusion
8th Report – Healthy Ageing: physi…
We also recommend that the Department work with social care providers to develop a national...
We also recommend that the Department work with social care providers to develop a national training programme for social care workers to improve their confidence and skills in supporting older people to be active, including understanding deconditioning and how to … Read more
Department of Health and Social Care
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20 Conclusion
8th Report – Healthy Ageing: physi…
The Department should work with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to set national standards for...
The Department should work with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to set national standards for the delivery of physical activity in social care settings, with physical activity being provided in line with the Chief Medical Officers’ guidance. We also recommend … Read more
Department of Health and Social Care
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21 Recommendation
8th Report – Healthy Ageing: physi…
The government must start a national conversation about ageing which talks about getting older in...
The government must start a national conversation about ageing which talks about getting older in a more positive way, challenges assumptions about unavoidable and irreversible decline and motivates people to remain active. (Conclusion, Paragraph 74)
Department of Health and Social Care
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22 Recommendation
8th Report – Healthy Ageing: physi…
We recommend that the Department’s “national movement campaign” include targeted messaging aimed at the least...
We recommend that the Department’s “national movement campaign” include targeted messaging aimed at the least active and people approaching older age. These messages should demonstrate how movement can be incorporated into daily habits, use relatable role models and focus on … Read more
Department of Health and Social Care
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23 Conclusion
8th Report – Healthy Ageing: physi…
Poorly designed built environments prevent older people from being able to leave their homes and...
Poorly designed built environments prevent older people from being able to leave their homes and actively participate in their communities. By embedding principles that promote physical activity into planning guidance, the government can ensure the creation of healthy places that … Read more
Department of Health and Social Care
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24 Recommendation
8th Report – Healthy Ageing: physi…
Designing a built environment that promotes physical activity for everyone, including older people, must become...
Designing a built environment that promotes physical activity for everyone, including older people, must become a core requirement when designing public spaces. We recommend that the revised National Planning Policy Framework and the Design and Placemaking Planning Practice Guidance embed … Read more
Department of Health and Social Care
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25 Conclusion
8th Report – Healthy Ageing: physi…
Physical activity remains insufficiently prioritised across government despite extensive evidence of its central role in...
Physical activity remains insufficiently prioritised across government despite extensive evidence of its central role in prevention and healthy ageing. Tackling physical inactivity requires political leadership and cross-departmental collaboration—recognising that supporting people to age well will not be achieved by health … Read more
Department of Health and Social Care
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26 Recommendation
8th Report – Healthy Ageing: physi…
The government should restore the health mission and develop a cross- government 10-year plan to...
The government should restore the health mission and develop a cross- government 10-year plan to embed prevention and reduce inequalities in healthy life expectancy, that prioritises physical activity. This should include creating pooled budgets that require multi-department bids to access, … Read more
Department of Health and Social Care
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27 Recommendation
8th Report – Healthy Ageing: physi…
While we welcome the government’s recent increase to the public health grant, we remain concerned...
While we welcome the government’s recent increase to the public health grant, we remain concerned that public health teams have been left with inadequate funds to carry out preventive interventions vital to healthy ageing. The shift to prevention will require … Read more
Department of Health and Social Care
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