New physical activity prescription cards launched
The cards are designed to spark meaningful conversations about the benefits of physical activity and help patients find realistic, achievable ways to move more in their daily lives—whether that’s walking regularly, joining a local group, or being active at home.
Being active is the biggest benefit a person can make to their health and well-being, it doesn't have to be much, starting with just 10 minutes a day can make a huge difference.
We hope the new Physical Activity Prescriptions will encourage health professionals to have more focussed conversations and empower individuals to find ways to increase their daily movement that work for them.
There are two versions of the card. One version includes space for healthcare professionals to write down personalised activity goals—such as joining a local group, going for regular walks, or using an online resource—allowing them to work with the patient to agree on realistic steps and explore how these could benefit their health. The second version also features simple, conversation-starting prompts like “Being active could help with…” and “Something you could try is…” to encourage supportive, tailored discussions. For example, a healthcare professional might highlight how physical activity could help improve a patient’s mood or manage a specific health condition.
The cards also include:
The UK Chief Medical Officers’ physical activity guidelines.
Some of the benefits of being active.
A QR code linking to a wide range of free online activity resources.
These cards are part of a wider initiative to embed physical activity into everyday healthcare. We know physical activity can play a key role in both the prevention and management of a wide range of health conditions—from heart disease to depression.
Feedback from patients has shown that having something tangible to take away from a consultation can be helpful. This insight helped shape the development of the cards, ensuring they offer practical support.
We hope these cards will help normalise conversations about being active as part of healthcare so that it is seen as an additional way to help manage health.