Emily Robinson, London Sport CEO, reflects on the NHS’s 10-Year Plan.
The NHS’s new Fit for the Future 10-Year Plan is a powerful call to reimagine how we keep people healthy. It acknowledges something many of us in the physical activity sector have known for years: lasting health starts well before you step into a GP surgery or hospital. It starts in our homes, our parks, our schools, and our communities.
The plan offers a welcome and long-awaited national signal that prevention and community-led care will be central to our health system’s future.
It also recognises the power of campaigns and incentives to help people make healthier choices.
That kind of ambition really resonates with me. More than a decade ago, I created Dry January, a campaign that started small but showed how giving people a simple idea, a clear start point, and the right support can trigger real behaviour change. Today, millions of people take part in Dry January every year, and it’s had a measurable impact on drinking habits and long-term health outcomes.
Small shifts matter. National campaigns like these can create the momentum to change culture at scale.
Why this matters
Physical inactivity is estimated to contribute to 1 in 6 deaths in the UK, and people with a long-term health condition or disability are twice as likely to be inactive as those without. We know that physical activity has an unrivalled role in prevention. Whether managing long-term conditions, supporting mental health, or reducing the risk of chronic disease, moving more is a powerful intervention. Crucially, it is also accessible, low-cost, and can be embedded into everyday life.
The plan’s focus on ‘making healthy choices easy’ and supporting people to take control of their health mirrors our own priorities at London Sport. We know that to turn this ambition into reality, we need health, community and sport systems working together – sharing insight, resources, and outcomes.
Partnership in practice: The NHS Fit for the Future workshop
London Sport has partnered with the NHS and others to host the Fit for the Future workshop, a first-of-its-kind event bringing together decision-makers and practitioners from across the health and physical activity sectors.
We are exploring how local NHS services, leisure operators, and community organisations can collaborate to embed movement into health and care pathways. From social prescribing models to wrap-around activity offers for people living with long-term conditions, we see the potential for physical activity to sit confidently within mainstream healthcare delivery.
Importantly, the workshop is not just a conversation, it’s a catalyst for change that will lead to the co-creation of a practical blueprint for embedding physical activity across the healthcare system in London.
Turning strategy into action
To deliver on the promise of the 10-year plan, London Sport believes four things are essential:
- Embedding physical activity professionals in health pathways
From GPs to pharmacists to social prescribers, all frontline health workers should be trained and supported to confidently and routinely include support for getting active within their practice. - Investing in local partnerships
Integrated Care Systems must work closely with local authorities, community sport providers, VCSE and independent sector organisations to build locally-led, culturally relevant offers. - Prioritising health inequalities
The communities who face the greatest barriers to activity often experience the poorest health outcomes. Any solution must be equity-led from the outset. - Valuing evaluation and learning
New delivery models must be built with evaluation in mind, so we can measure what works and scale accordingly.
Our commitment
At London Sport, we’re ready to play our part in delivering this vision. We’ll continue to champion the role of movement in preventing ill-health, work hand-in-hand with NHS partners, and advocate for the funding, policy and workforce development needed to make active lifestyles a core part of our health system.
The 10-year plan sets out an ambitious roadmap for a healthier, more resilient nation. Let’s make physical activity a foundation of that journey.
Together, we can build a future where every Londoner has the opportunity and support to move more, live well, and thrive.
