Living Streets Walking Summit: a GP perspective

Jo Maher has been a GP & Medical Educator in Sheffield for 25 years and works with Move More Sheffield, as the place-based Physical Activity Clinical Champion PACC for the city

How many times in a day in practice do you talk about walking with patients? Or with colleagues? Just everyday walking in the local area? These days, I talk about it all the time—or notice its absence—for people locked into car dependency, lacking public transport options, or simply unaware they could just go out for a local walk.

I first started noticing how little attention we pay to walking a few years ago. That was one of the reasons I attended the Living Streets Walking Summit in 2023. The keynote was from CMO Prof Sir Chris Whitty, and the event in Leeds was joyful—full of enthusiasts sharing projects that support health without the need for a nurse or doctor. Of course, it included a good walk and chance to connect with others on foot. I came away feeling refreshed and reconnected to a bigger, beautiful picture of what health can be.

Why does walking matter to healthcare workers? The Active Lives survey shows how sedentary the UK population is—25% of adults get less than 30 minutes of moderate activity a week,¹ let alone the 150 minutes recommended by the CMO.² This “miracle cure” of movement reduces all-cause mortality, improves mental health, and prevents diabetes, heart disease, dementia and some cancers.³ There’s no “polypill” in the BNF that can do all that. Yet GPs still face barriers to recommending walking or other physical activity,⁴ and “prescribing” it can be controversial.⁵

Back at the Summit, I learned about walking-to-school schemes,⁶ campaigns to reduce social isolation,⁷ and other grassroots work. Only 20% of our wellbeing is due to healthcare;⁸ the rest comes from housing, employment, food, clean air, safe neighbourhoods—and the ability to walk and wheel safely. Among the attendees were brilliant advocates, including Dr Amit Patel and his guide dog Kika. If you’ve seen the BBC’s Dog Squad, you’ll know Amit as a joyful champion for inclusive, walkable environments.⁹

In 2024 the Summit came to my home city, Sheffield. I helped lead a “walkshop” on clean air, from the conference centre to the cholera monument above the station—a poignant site to reflect on the silent killer of air pollution. Ramblers’ Step Out Sheffield supported the walk. They’ve been leading health walks for over 25 years and their presence contributed to a thoughtful, safe and productive event.
In preparation, I’d read the CMO’s report on Clean Air¹⁰ and listened to Breathe by Sadiq Khan, which tells the story of Ella Adoo-Kissi-Debrah—the first person to have air pollution listed as a cause of death.¹¹ Her death, at nine years old from severe asthma, is a heartbreaking reminder of what’s at stake. Our walkshop sparked meaningful discussions on this often invisible threat.

By May 2025, I found myself back in Bristol, where I was born, for the next Summit. I walked and caught up with close friend from medical school (Over 30 years ago!). From an old friend to a new one, I also met Professor Scarlett McNally (pictured with me)—orthopaedic surgeon, frequent BMJ contributor and an inspiring advocate for active travel. Her energy and humour lit up the room. Her message was clear: both individuals and governments must understand not just why but how to embed active travel into daily life. ¹²

I don’t know where the next Summit will be, but I plan to be there. Stepping outside the NHS bubble is refreshing—and it enhances the day job. I recently also attended the Active City conference in York, where Prof Whitty returned, this time with Chris Boardman, the National Active Travel Commissioner, announcing plans for a national active travel network.¹³

Back in the consulting room, I know I’m not alone in recognising the benefits of walking—for ourselves, our patients, and our communities. It’s time we gave it the attention it deserves.

References

1. Sport England. Active Lives Adult Survey. https://www.sportengland.org/research-and-data/data/active-lives [accessed 18/7/25]
2. Department of Health and Social Care. UK Chief Medical Officers’ Physical Activity Guidelines. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5a7d8109ed915d2d2ac09597/Framework_13.pdf [accessed 18/7/25]
3. World Health Organization. Physical Activity. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/physical-activity [accessed 18/7/25]
4. Chatterjee R, Chapman T, Brannan M, Varney J. GP’s knowledge, use, and confidence in national physical activity guidelines and tools: a questionnaire-based survey of general practice in England. Br J Gen Pract. 2017;67(663):e668–e675. https://bjgp.org/content/67/663/e668 [accessed 18/7/25]
5. Bhatti N. Walking is medicine—so why are doctors hesitant to prescribe it? BMJ. 2024;389:r670. https://www.bmj.com/content/389/bmj.r670 [accessed 18/7/25]
6. Living Streets. Walking to School Initiatives. https://www.livingstreets.org.uk/policy-reports-and-research/walking-to-school/ [accessed 18/7/25]
7. Living Streets. Is Walking a Miracle Cure? https://www.livingstreets.org.uk/media/btofzmx2/is-walking-a-miracle-cure_online.pdf [accessed 18/7/25]
8. NHS England. Acting on the wider determinants of health will be key to reduced demand. https://www.england.nhs.uk/blog/acting-on-the-wider-determinants-of-health-will-be-key-to-reduced-demand/ [accessed 18/7/25]
9. https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/shows/dog-squad [accessed 18/7/25]
10. Chief Medical Officer. Annual Report 2022: Air Pollution. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/639aeb81e90e0721889bbf2f/chief-medical-officers-annual-report-air-pollution-dec-2022.pdf [accessed 18/7/25]
11. Green D, Hale T, Marks M. Making air pollution visible: the case of Ella Adoo-Kissi-Debrah. BMJ Global Health. 2020;5:e002597. https://gh.bmj.com/content/5/8/e002597 [accessed 18/7/25]
12. Scarlett McNally: Enabling active travel can improve the UK’s health, BMJ 2024; 384 https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.q522 [accessed 18/7/25]
13. Active Travel England. England’s mayors pledge national walking, wheeling and cycling network. https://www.activetravelengland.gov.uk/news/englands-mayors-gather-pledge-national-walking-wheeling-and-cycling-network-backed-government [accessed 18/7/25]

Additional Useful Links

• UK Walking Summit – Living Streets https://www.livingstreets.org.uk/get-involved/uk-walking-summit [accessed 18/7/25]
• Dr Amit Patel – Speaker and Author https://www.dramit.uk [accessed 18/7/25]
• Ramblers Wellbeing Walks https://www.ramblers.org.uk/go-walking/wellbeing-walks [accessed 18/7/25]
• Breathe by Sadiq Khan – Penguin Books https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/452035/breathe-by-khan-sadiq/9781804940112 [accessed 18/7/25]
• PROF Scarlett McNally https://www.scarlettmcnally.co.uk/ [accessed 18/7/25]

Featured image: c. Jo Maher, 2025