Each year, more than a million people in England access NHS Talking Therapies for support with anxiety and depression. The Active Talking Therapies Trailblazers programme is testing what changes when physical activity becomes part of that treatment.
Talking Therapies are highly effective, and growing evidence shows that physical activity has a powerful, complementary role to play in improving mental health. Being active can help people manage symptoms, improve recovery, build confidence and develop sustainable habits that support long-term mental health.
To build on this evidence, we’ve been supporting Sport England, working with NHS partners, to launch the Active Talking Therapies Trailblazers programme. The programme is testing how physical activity can be embedded directly into local NHS Talking Therapies services, making movement a routine part of care and recovery.
What the Active Talking Therapies Trailblazers are doing
City & Hackney Talking Therapies (Homerton Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust), LSCFT Talking Therapies (Blackburn with Darwen) and Rotherham, Doncaster and South Humber NHS Foundation Trust (RDaSH) are the first trailblazers. Each area is developing a local approach that reflects the needs of its communities, bringing together NHS Talking Therapies, physical activity providers and local partners to create accessible and meaningful opportunities for people to move more as part of their treatment. Specifically, sites will explore how group therapy sessions, combined with physical activity delivered by community partners impacts recovery.
The Trailblazers programme builds on successful pilot work in Camden & Islington and Buckinghamshire, where physical activity was introduced within NHS Talking Therapies services and received positive feedback from both staff and people accessing support.
Why it matters
As demand for mental health services continues to grow, there is strong evidence that physical activity can play an important role in improving mental health and supporting recovery from anxiety and depression. NICE guidance recommends physical activity as part of treatment for adult depression, and research shows it can help improve wellbeing, reduce the likelihood of relapse and support recovery. Yet despite this, movement is not a routine part of treatment.
The Active Talking Therapies Trailblazers programme is focused on turning that evidence into everyday practice by developing and testing approaches that are practical, inclusive and scalable across the NHS.
What we’re working towards
Over the course of the programme, the Trailblazer sites will:
- Test different approaches of integrating physical activity into Talking Therapies treatment pathways
- Build the knowledge, skills and confidence of practitioners to discuss and support physical activity
- Generate evidence and insights to inform future national best practice guidance, developed in partnership with NHS England
- Share learning, tools and resources to support wider adoption across Talking Therapies services in England
- Strengthen partnerships between health services, local communities and physical activity organisations
Working together for better mental health
The Trailblazer programme is delivered by Sport England, in partnership with Transformation Partners in Health and Care (TPHC), the delivery partner, NHS Talking Therapies services, Active Partnerships and The National Collaborating Centre for Mental Health (NCCMH). The programme forms part of Sport England’s place-based investment portfolio within Sport England’s Uniting the Movement strategy, which aims to improve health and wellbeing by helping everyone have the opportunity to be active.
Our partnership with Sport England
“We’re proud of our long-term relationship with Sport England, and this programme builds on work we’ve been supporting together for several years. It’s great to see the early impact of the Trailblazer sites, and this partnership reflects our ability to operate at both a national and local delivery level, bringing together our track record of transformation, practical experience of implementation and our capability to support research. We’re looking forward to seeing what this work makes possible for people accessing NHS Talking Therapies.”
Shirley O’Keeffe, Associate Director, Mental Health
“TPHC demonstrate a really strong ability to identify problems and solutions, translating conceptual ideas into clear, actionable delivery. They bring valuable specialist expertise across multiple areas and are able to move at pace, which is highly valued, while also maintaining a thoughtful and considered approach to ensure quality and strategic alignment. They are great to work with and highly respected across our sector. The ripple effects of our partnership work continue to grow across Talking Therapies in England.”
Suzie Gittus, National Partnerships Lead, Health and Inactivity Team, Sport England
Further information
For any more information, please email the Sport England team directly at: mentalwellbeing@sportengland.org