Case Study for Alpha PCN's Active Practice Success

Alpha Primary Care Network (PCN), which operates across Dacorum, has embraced the Active Practice Charter with impressive success. In May 2025, all of its practices (Rothschild House Group, Gossoms End Surgery, and Manor Street Surgery) achieved full accreditation. Much of this accomplishment is thanks to Claire Winzar, Alpha PCN’s Health & Wellbeing Coach, who has played a key role in leading and delivering the initiatives required for accreditation. Claire has been pivotal in embedding the importance of physical activity across the PCN, regularly sharing updates and encouragement with colleagues to maintain momentum; truly demonstrating what it means to champion the Active Practice Charter.

This case study showcases the way that Alpha PCN have achieved each of the five objectives of the Active Practice Charter: 

• Partnering with local physical activity providers 

• Increasing physical activity of staff 

• Increasing physical activity of patients 

• Reducing sedentary behaviour of staff 

• Reducing sedentary behaviour of patients 

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Partnership working to promote movement 

Partnerships have been key to successfully developing an Active Practice:

• Claire meets with Everyone Active frequently to share projects and events to mutually promote to both staff and patients. Everyone Active have attended clinical meetings and protected learning afternoons to explain their exercise referral service and the benefits this can have on patient’s health and wellbeing.
• Rothschild House Group have become a parkrun practice, led by a GP who attends regularly, promoting their local Wendover parkrun to both staff and patients.
• Alpha PCN are collaborating with Hertfordshire Health Walks to establish a local walk for the patients in Tring; Claire is also in the process of training to become a health walk volunteer.
• The PCN have formed a strong relationship with Herts Sport & Physical Activity Partnership (HSP) to better connect the PCN with local providers, training opportunities and funding opportunities. E.g., personalised care staff attending the Physical Activity Clinical Champions (PACC) training, attending the Active Connections Conference - embedding physical activity into health, and have HSP attending their protected learning time later this year to upskill staff in Active Medicine training.
• Claire has supported a new collaboration with Karen Kelly Fitness, formerly a Health & Independent Living Support (HILS) Active Ageing Instructor to set up a new Tring senior strength and mobility exercise class. Around 800 patients were invited based on the frailty scale, seeing 38 people 75yrs + attending! These classes plan to continue in 6-week blocks and they hope to develop the class to include a social tea/coffee afterwards.

“Fantastic. I really think that this should be celebrated.” 

Rothschild House Group Clinical Director, Dr Pani Sissou 

“Wow what a turn out and some good feedback, I really enjoyed it today.” 

Karen Kelly, Karen Kelly Fitness, facilitator of Tring Strength, Mobility, and Falls Prevention class 

“The class was a safely and expertly delivered mix of mobilisation, strength, balance and falls prevention.” - Claire Winzar, Health & Wellbeing Coach for Alpha PCN 

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Reducing sedentary behaviour in staff 

How Alpha PCN plan to support staff wellbeing by reducing their sedentary behaviour at work:

• Switching off the call-in system preventing clinicians sitting for hours on end and requiring them to walk to the waiting room to collect their next patient.
• Standing desks across multiple practices as option for both admin staff and GP consultants.
• Encouraging active breaks to break up periods of inactivity e.g., 10 sit-to-stands every 40 minutes when at your desk.

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Reducing sedentary behaviour in patients 

Many patients encountered have sedentary lifestyles; these approaches help them move away from this and the negative impact:

• Signposting to local physical activity opportunities in the waiting areas of surgeries as well as using the waiting room digital screens to promote the importance of movement for health. E.g., signposting to Nifty Fifties class, exercise referrals, seated Tai Chi, Care to Dance (dementia friendly dance class) and the benefits of activity. Occasionally a patient will enter a consult with an exercise referral leaflet in hand, which instigates opportunistic conversation and referral.
• Signposting to the Moving More Activity Finder to help patients find locally activities as well as encouraging local providers to add their activities.
• Rothschild House Group has collaborated with Dacorum Healthy Hubs to promote and signpost to physical activity providers at Tring pop-up events e.g., sharing the Live Longer Better in Hertfordshire class timetable and promoting the We Are Undefeatable (WAU) resources such as the '15 Ways to Move at Home' and the daily goals planner.
• Asking the patient participation group (PPG) to promote the Live Longer Better in Hertfordshire champions training and scoping future collaborative projects with HSP.

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Increasing Physical Activity in Staff 

When staff are more active, they find it easier to speak about movement with their patients and feel better for it:

• Buy-A-Bike scheme is available for Rothschild House Group staff.
• Staff are encouraged to sign up to the Active Connections Hub – a free movement platform open to all PCN staff.
• Mindful movement class enjoyed by Manor Street Surgery staff during their March protected learning time.

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Increasing Physical Activity in Patients 

Physical activity is essential to patients’ health and wellbeing, Alpha PCN have developed approaches to support their patients into activity:

• Group sessions were offered to patients on an introduction to lifestyle medicine. These sessions included a mix of movement, mobility and stretching classes from a local personal trainer adapted to patient-needs on the day. There was also gentle, seated movement classes offered from another local provider, provision of a GP exercise referral provider visiting the groups to provide a demo class and had a taster session of a strength and balance class. The strength and balance class the session gave patients advice on falls prevention, getting up safely, and provided a resistance band and exercise sheets to take home.
• Alpha PCN refer patients to the Everyone Active GP Exercise Referral Scheme. E.g., successes include patients attending the Escape Pain course and another patient was able to use exercise referral consistently in the gym and pool to build quadricep strength and size following injury and atrophy.
• Everyone Active facilitate a free Movement for Life Walk where patients are invited to partake in an exercise and wellbeing walk:

“Wow! What a great turnout (and weather!) in the end. Everyone seemed really engaged and great so many are keen to come back! Thank you, Claire, for arranging for the invites (and your perseverance and patience!) That was what was needed!” 

Sarah Langridge, Wildstrong Berkhamsted, facilitator of Everyone Active Movement for Life Walk 

• One of Alpha PCN’s Social Prescribers, Fran Kelly, took an active role in liaising with providers and promoting Care to Dance dementia friendly dance class in Berkhamsted, which began in April 2025.
• Consultants and GPs are encouraged to code the physical activity signposting journey of their patients so the practices can collect evidence to support future resource opportunities for the local community.
• Alpha PCN collaborated with a local club, Nifty Fifties +, offering an exercise and social class for over 50’s (a free taster session was promoted to local residents) – a mix of seated and standing exercise including table tennis and indoor bowls with a social element after the class. 

“Thank you so much for coming along and for your efforts in organising the prospective new members. It was indeed wonderful to see more people participating in the session. I am very much looking forward to welcoming back those individuals who indicated their intention to return in the future. I truly appreciate your support in making the community a fitter and healthier environment.” 

Tom Vaughan, leanonme.pt, facilitator of Nifty Fifties+ Cheddington 

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Alpha PCN are not only continuing to look for more offers for patients to get moving more, but they are creating pathways for tracking and evidencing this process which is necessary for sustaining how physical activity is embedded into practices. They have a clear system of who and how to promote each session to, ensuring the sessions reach the right target groups, through a text messaging service. They are also using a coding system to ensure physical activity is coded the same as other appointment outcomes/referrals, getting the priority and value it deserves given the significance movement can provide to a patient’s health and wellbeing.

“Integrating movement as medicine transforms lives. By inviting our patients into existing groups, we promote activity beyond the acheivements of verbal signposting or website listings. We’re not just promoting physical activity; we are fostering a sense of belonging in our communities.” 

Claire Winzar, Alpha PCN HWB Coach, Community HWB Project Lead, Active Practice Charter Rep