New approaches to healthcare discussed in the South West

Public Health Consultant, Professor Sir Muir Gray, who helped develop Britain’s screening programmes and NHS Choices, has visited the South West to discuss the launch of two new initiatives, focusing on activity therapy and value improvement.

Muir was hosted by the SW AHSN for two days in March and spent time with staff and invited guests to workshop both ideas. He was also a speaker at the South West Clinical Senate annual conference and presented to a meeting of Directors of Public Health from around the region.

Activity therapy

Last year, Muir Gray launched the Active 10 app with Public Health England, encouraging everyone to do 10 minutes of brisk exercise a day ( https://www.nhs.uk/oneyou ). Muir discussed how exercise can improve the physical and mental health of residents in the South West, particularly older people and people with one or more long-term conditions – groups which overlap more with each decade. Muir describes in this short film his plans to offer activity as a prescription.

Value improvement

Sir Muir believes that huge potential lies in the shift from low-value healthcare interventions to high-value interventions. Examples of low-value interventions include the overuse of pharmacy for example, particularly for older people, while underused high-value interventions might include mobile devices to help monitor the risk of atrial fibrillation. In this short film, Muir introduces his triple value approach to getting the balance right, by looking at population and personalised healthcare.

Sir Muir Gray is an internationally renowned authority on healthcare systems and has advised governments in Australia, New Zealand, Italy, Spain and Germany and more. He has worked in the NHS since 1972 and chaired the board responsible for NHS Choices. He now heads the Oxford-based Better Value Healthcare Institute, which is concerned with increasing efficiency in the NHS.