23/05/2026
Physical activity should be at the heart of the NHS’s support for older people and is as important as providing medication, a report by the Health and Social Care Committee says.
Activity Alliance submitted evidence and was invited to give oral evidence, with our Chief Executive appearing alongside charity leaders to raise awareness of the barriers and give solutions.
Boosting resilience to illness, frailty and falls through physical activity will be key to keeping the country’s ageing population healthy and living independently for longer, MPs say. This change will be fundamental to the Government’s objective of switching the NHS’s focus from treating illness to preventing it, and will help stabilise the rising cost of funding the health service as demand continues to rise.
The report follows the cross-party Committee’s Healthy Ageing inquiry. It recommends:
- Advice and social prescribing of physical activity should become a core, routine offering to older people from their GPs and other clinicians.
- Stronger links between local NHS services with leisure providers and community groups to make exercise more accessible.
- The Care Quality Commission should be charged with checking that exercise programmes are being provided to residents in care homes.
