NHS Wales Award for work supporting disabled people to become more physically active
Ben Breakspear from Cardiff and Vale University Health Board is part of a Wales-wide partnership that won an NHS Wales Award 2023 for work supporting disabled people to become more physically active.
As a Health Disability Activity Practitioner for Cardiff and Vale University Health Board, Ben Breakspear’s goal is to make it easier for adults and children (from the age of two) with disabilities and impairments to take advantage of sporting opportunities such as swimming, cricket or football in Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan.
In November Ben was part of the team from the national Health Disability Activity Partnership who won the 2023 NHS Wales Award for improving health and wellbeing. Each of the seven health boards in Wales has a Health Disability Activity Practitioner who sits on the Wales wide team.
The project began as a pilot scheme in Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board with Disability Sport Wales. A Social Return on Investment Analysis identified that for every £1 investment, £124 of social return was realised and following the success of the pilot, it was rolled out as a national initiative in 2022.
Ben said: ““We try to ensure that all adults and children with disabilities and impairments are helped to become more physically active. With the help of the Health Care Professionals across our health boards, we aim to promote the benefits of physical activity through 'making every contact count' conversations.
“To date in Cardiff, I have managed to upskill 349 Health Care Professionals which has resulted in 138 people being signposted to the pathway. The aim is to increase these numbers and reach a wider range of teams and services to help them embed the Health Disability Activity Pathway into their daily practice, informing more individuals about physical activity and using the pathway as a tool to assist them in accessing those local opportunities.”
Judith Paget, Chief Executive of NHS Wales and Director General, Health and Social Services, presented the NHS Wales Award for improving health and wellbeing to the Wales-wide team on 10 January 2024 in Cardiff.
Ben (pictured second from the right) said: “As a team, we are extremely honoured and delighted to have won the award. It’s a testament to all the hard work that has gone on behind the scenes to get the pathway recognised at a national level. This is only the start for us and we hope to continue developing relationships with Health Care Professionals and Local Authorities to support more disabled individuals make a difference through physical activity”.