There are too many other things to do!
Finding a moment of opportunity – a patient open to a conversation about their physical activity behaviour, and a member of staff who could have that conversation with them – is a critical first step.
But staff will have other things they already need to talk to that patient about, and discussing moving more may not be their priority
“It may be less likely to happen because you have a certain agenda of what you need to get from your assessment and treatment plan that you’re going to do in that session.” Outpatient Physio
“I think it’s the time. We have such a long list of things that, in a lot of cases, the priority of exercise starts to move a bit lower down that list.” Physiotherapy Assistant
“You’re usually so busy doing everything else; making the beds, personal hygiene, getting beds ready for the next patients coming in, having that high demand on you. By the time you get to the discharge, which is usually the point where you go through everything, you tend to just go; here’s a booklet. There’s a bit of exercise and lifestyle advice in the back”. Cardiology Specialist Nurse
“You’ve got to cover all the essentials, then everything after that is added on. I think that’s why things like physical exercise have fallen by the wayside in the past, because we need to discuss many other important factors relating to their pregnancy” Research Midwife
‘There’s an opportunity cost. What that means is that at a senior level we’ve got five, ten, 15 minutes with one patient to get through the most critical questions. The ones that we prioritise are what’s relevant right now. And I think that talking about public health aspects or longer term self-health aspects goes further down the list of what I’m going to cover before the acute aspects.’ Consultant
“I think part of it is not being aware of how much of an issue it is at times, because you’re dealing with something that seems more pressing. And equally, finding the time, opportunity and space to have a more appropriate discussion with them can be difficult.” Foundation Doctor
“Let’s be honest, it may only take a minute, but when you’ve got 90 patients that’s an hour and a half. And the conversations would be, who pays for the staffing to stay late?” Service Manager