What the Stronger for Life Reconditioning Programme brought to the End PJ Paralysis Global Summit

Ross Joannides, Strategic Relationship Manager, reflects on the End PJ Paralysis Global Summit.

Recently, we had the privilege of presenting the Stronger for Life Reconditioning Programme at the #EndPJparalysis Global Summit – an international event bringing together healthcare professionals, researchers, clinicians, quality improvement specialists, allied health professionals, charity representatives and system leaders who share a common ambition: reducing avoidable deconditioning and improving patient outcomes through movement.

About the summit

The summit explored a wide range of topics, including tackling hospital-associated deconditioning, improving rehabilitation pathways, creating more active hospital environments, reducing falls, workforce innovation, quality improvement, and embedding movement into everyday care.

It was inspiring to hear examples of innovation from across the UK and internationally, with organisations sharing practical approaches to changing culture and improving the patient experience.

The Stronger for Life Reconditioning Programme presentation

Our presentation focused on the journey of the Stronger for Life Reconditioning Programme – a partnership between Active Sussex, NHS partners, local authorities, public health and community organisations that is transforming opportunities for people recovering from stroke and those at risk of deconditioning while in hospital.

Rather than viewing physical activity as something that only happens during formal therapy sessions, Stronger for Life demonstrates how movement can become everyone’s responsibility.

By introducing Health Instructors into inpatient settings, alongside existing clinical teams, we’ve been able to create additional opportunities for patients to move, improve confidence, enhance wellbeing and support recovery.

As the programme has evolved, we’ve also explored innovative delivery models, including live-streamed exercise sessions across multiple hospital sites and targeted support for patients with higher levels of need.

Presenting at the summit was an opportunity not only to showcase the outcomes achieved in Sussex, but also to share the lessons we’ve learned along the way.

The programme has continually evolved through collaboration, listening to patients and staff, and using each phase to inform the next.

Being able to openly discuss both the successes and the challenges, hopefully prompted critical thinking amongst delegates facing similar issues around deconditioning in their own organisations.

Messages from the summit

One of the strongest messages from the summit was that tackling deconditioning requires system-wide collaboration.

No single profession or organisation can solve the challenge alone.

Success depends on creating partnerships across healthcare, local government, the voluntary sector and community providers, while empowering every member of the workforce to see movement as part of their role.

The discussions also reinforced the importance of testing new workforce models, building evidence through evaluation, and remaining flexible enough to adapt approaches as learning develops.

These are all principles that have underpinned the Stronger for Life programme from the very beginning.

Active Sussex is contributing to a new way of working in healthcare

The opportunity to present at an international summit was not simply about celebrating what has been achieved so far.

It was about contributing to a growing movement that challenges traditional approaches to rehabilitation and recognises movement as a vital part of healthcare.

Equally, it provided an invaluable opportunity to learn from others, gather new ideas, and understand how different organisations address similar challenges.

The insights gained from other sessions at the summit will help shape the next phase of Stronger for Life as we continue to develop the programme, strengthen our partnerships, and explore opportunities to scale the model across more hospital settings and into wider health and care services.

By sharing learning openly and learning from others, we can continue to improve the patient experience, reduce the impact of deconditioning, and support more people to recover well.

We’re proud that Sussex’s collaborative approach is contributing to this international conversation, and we’re excited to continue working with partners to build on this momentum and ensure that movement becomes an integral part of care for every patient, every day.