4. What action is the Welsh Government taking to promote joint working between the health sector and the leisure and sport sector in Wales? OAQ51484

‘Prosperity for All’ makes our expectations for collaboration very clear. We have asked Sport Wales and Public Health Wales to set out how they will build on existing examples of good practice and work together on joint policies. 

First Minister, if we are to meet the challenges of achieving a more preventative and proactive approach to better health in Wales, we do need a more physically active population. That is an important part of making that necessary change. In Newport, the Aneurin Bevan health board public health department, together with Newport Live, Newport City Council, Natural Resources Wales, local sports groups and many others, have been working together for some time to try and achieve a more physically active local population so that we do get that better health. In addition to what you've outlined in your initial answer, First Minister, I know locally—and I'm sure it applies to many other such initiatives across Wales—that there is great interest in what further action, what further support, Welsh Government might be able to provide to support those initiatives, to make that fundamental change to a more preventative and proactive approach to health in Wales.

Well, I can tell my friend the Member for Newport East that the Public Health (Wales) Act 2017 places a requirement on Welsh Ministers to publish a national strategy on preventing and reducing obesity, while engaging in physical activity and tackling sedentary lifestyles will play an important role. That work is being led by the chief medical officer, and both the sports sector and health sector are fully engaged in the developing work. We also have, of course, the national exercise referral scheme, a Welsh Government-funded scheme that's delivered by Public Health Wales that's been developed to standardise exercise referral opportunities across all local authorities and local health boards in Wales. It targets patients who have a chronic condition or who are at risk of developing chronic disease, and there were over 28,000 referrals across Wales in 2016.

In terms of Newport, I can say that the total investment into Newport from Sport Wales, for example, is over £610,000—over £0.5 million of core funding, which covers work with schools, community participation, free swimming and other regional work with and through Positive Futures, and £100,000 roughly, which is community chest funding, which a local Newport community chest panel oversees.

First Minister, I listened to your initial answer to John Griffiths. I absolutely accept, and it was very clear during the public health Bill process, that Ministers are acutely aware of the need to improve our health and well-being by using sport and leisure. However, there is still a woeful level of interaction between those who are responsible for the commissioning of sport and leisure in order to provide these services and those who are responsible for driving the health and well-being agenda. I know what you say about Public Health Wales and Sports Wales. However, I would like to ask for (1) more imagination in what we provide because leisure does not just mean sport, and if you are elderly and infirm, to be frank, a sports hall down the road with a football in it is not going to do you any good, and secondly, what can your Government do to try to get at a local level these commissioning agents, those who have the duty to provide and those who want to have well-being and good healthy living for our citizens, to actually work together on a daily, weekly and monthly basis?

It's quite right to say it's not all about sport and more to do with activity and exercise, of course. I can say that work is taking place between Sport Wales and Public Health Wales, which will include the establishment of a new outcomes framework for physical activity, some shared performance measures, actions and methods for evaluating impact and value for money. The Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Services and the Minister for Culture, Tourism and Sport have agreed to extend funding for 16 months for Let's Walk Cymru, delivered through Ramblers Cymru, and that works with local authority co-ordinators to develop a range of walks and routes across Wales for people with varying levels of abilities. And you're quite right to say that it is vital for older people and people with disabilities to be provided with opportunities to engage in leisure and cultural programmes. Of course, the recent OlympAge games are an excellent example of what can be achieved when organisations work collaboratively towards the shared goal of population health improvement. I'm pleased that that event was a success and I hope it continues next year.

I am convinced that it’s through the education system that we can get young people on the right track towards physical activity in order to improve their health. There’s an opportunity here to draw attention to the beginning of the health committee inquiry into physical activity among children and young people. Now, Ireland has just introduced physical activity as an examination—for a leaving certificate—there. To what extent do you and your Government believe that we need an element of testing, or even examination, in order to ensure that every young person throughout their school career does ensure that physical activity is high on their agenda?

Well, of course, that does happen in schools already, as physical education is compulsory, and some are actually examined on that—that’s true—at GCSE and A-level, but it’s part of the curriculum for all. It is true to say, I believe, that it is vital to ensure that young children develop behaviours in order to ensure that they can continue to participate in sport. But, of course, we do lose people, because they come to an age when they don’t want to participate. For me, that’s the time when we should consider what alternative activities would be of interest to them. Perhaps they don’t want to compete, but they could walk or do other activities.

So, I think there are a number of different approaches that we could take. Some will want to participate in PE or in sport, but we can work with the schools to see what we can do to assist and support those who want to do physical things but not sport—I think that is the answer to ensuring that more young girls, in particular, carry on with physical exercise.