Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust makes Active Hospitals commitment

By GM Moving | 01 October 2025 | TAGS: Active Hospitals, health

Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust has committed to using movement and physical activity to improve patient wellbeing, recovery, and give time back to patients.

The Trust is one of the first in Greater Manchester to make an Active Hospitals commitment, celebrating the pledge with a special launch event attended by 130 people on Monday (29 September).

It has already completed a successful pilot which helped develop their implementation plan with senior leads from across clinical groups working to build an active culture.

An Active Hospital aims to change the physical activity culture to encourage patients to move more and reduce deconditioning - a decline in physical and mental function when people are inactive for a period of time.

Half (50%) of patients experience a functional decline between admission and discharge. Patients can spend up to 83% of their time in bed and lose 40% of their muscle strength during the first week in hospital.

For the Trust, Active Hospitals means physical activity and movement posters in wards and on TV screens as well as the development of active trails in and around the hospital campus.

A public-facing webpage has also been created with further information and staff will have the opportunity to complete Physical Activity Clinical Champions (PACC) training.

GM Moving and MCR Active were both at the launch event to share more about the benefits of physical activity and the local opportunities available from the leisure provider.

Keynote speaker Professor Brian Dolan OBE addressed attendees alongside Kimberley Salmon-Jamieson, Interim Deputy CEO and Chief Nursing Officer, and AHP Stroke Consultant Jennifer Harrison.

Jemma Haines MBE, Chief Allied Health Professional at the Trust, said:

“Earlier this year, we launched a successful pilot for Active Hospital across seven of our inpatient wards, making great progress in raising awareness of the benefits of physical movement among our patients.

“Now, this approach will be adopted Trust-wide, with all colleagues playing a role in encouraging movement. Our goal is to build the strength and confidence of our service users during their hospital stay and hopefully inspire them to maintain an active lifestyle after they are discharged.

“I would like to thank my colleagues across MFT who are already finding creative ways to encourage more movement, and I’m excited about the future of the programme.”

Kate Harding, Strategic Lead for Health Inequalities at GM Moving, said:

“It was great to attend the Active Hospitals launch on Monday to learn more about the ambition to embed and sustain a physical activity culture across the organisation.

“Everyone has a role to play in supporting patients to experience the benefits of moving more, whether it’s chair-based exercises or walking and wheeling short distances, it all counts.

“We’ve seen incredible growth in Active Practices across our city region in the past 12 months and it’s fantastic to see hospitals also joining our movement for movement.”

Learn more about Active Hospitals via Moving Medicine, resources to help healthcare professionals integrate physical activity into routine care, and get in touch with our team.

Supporting the development of Active Hospitals throughout Greater Manchester is part of our strategic priority to design movement and physical activity into health and care systems across the city region.