RCN backs Olympics-inspired campaign

Published: 26 January 2012

The Royal College of Nursing is backing a new campaign to encourage people aged over 55 with long-term conditions to lead healthier lifestyles.

Your Personal Best was launched today (26 January) and is inspired by this year’s Olympic and Paralympic games.

Nursing staff, alongside other health care professionals, have a key role in supporting patients with long-term conditions to understand the everyday activities they can do to improve their quality of life. Your Personal Best will be supplying simple and practical materials to GP surgeries to help initiate motivational conversations with patients about activity and to help support them at home.

Research has shown that in an average week people over 55 spend 726 minutes doing some form of lifestyle activity compared to 698 minutes spent by 18 to 25 year olds, and almost a third of survey respondents aged over 55 felt that long term health conditions were a barrier to staying active.

Steve Jamieson, Head of the RCN’s Nursing Department, attended a launch close to the Olympic Park with campaign ambassadors and Strictly Come Dancing stars Len Goodman and Arlene Phillips.

He said: “The RCN is pleased to support this campaign to help improve the health and wellbeing of people with long-term conditions.

“We know that the number of people with long-term conditions is rising, and could put added pressure on health services. So it is important to encourage them to be as active as possible.”

The campaign is being run by GlaxoSmithKline  in association with NHS London. It is also supported by the Royal College of General Practitioners, the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy and seven patient groups.

Visit the Your Personal Best website.