Transforming the Castle Point & Rochford Physical Health Subgroup
Driving system-wide preventative health improvements
Since 2024, Active Essex has led a fundamental transformation of the Castle Point & Rochford (CP&R) Physical Health Subgroup, shifting it from a broad information sharing forum into a strategic, collaborative and metrics driven system, capable of delivering the CP&R Health & Wellbeing Strategy. Membership has expanded, operating practices have strengthened, and a previously high level action plan has evolved into an outcome based framework anchored in data.
Under this renewed structure, the subgroup has activated a suite of prevention initiatives including healthy‑weight pathways such as Man v Fat, improvements to the school food environment through new provider mapping, deeper integration of Find Your Active, stronger links between VCSE organisations and Primary Care Networks, enhanced communications, and targeted community food education. Together, these changes are reducing inequalities, increasing engagement and embedding prevention across Castle Point and Rochford.
Active Essex’s leadership has been central to this shift. Since taking on the chairing and support role in 2024, the team has reshaped how the subgroup operates, ensuring it aligns directly with the CP&R Health & Wellbeing Strategy and the Active Essex Implementation Plan. Working closely with the Rochford Public Health Practitioner, Active Essex facilitated a full refresh of the subgroup’s action plan in June 2025. What was once a broad, descriptive document is now a clear, measurable framework with defined priorities, mapped delivery pathways and agreed responsibilities across partners. This clarity has strengthened accountability, improved issue escalation and created a shared sense of direction.
Membership has also grown significantly:
- PCN population health teams
- Mid & South Essex ICB
- Essex Wellbeing Service/ My Weight Matters
- Everyone Active
- RRAVS
- CAVS
- Sport for Confidence
- Community Supermarkets
- HAF Providers
- Find You Active Navigators
This expansion has enabled the subgroup to address prevention from multiple angles, such as physical activity, nutrition, clinical pathways, community support and behaviour change. Meeting records show a marked increase in attendance, engagement and cross‑sector collaboration, reflecting a more active and invested partnership.
This strengthened system has already delivered tangible outcomes, and healthy‑weight mapping has informed targeted interventions, contributing directly to Active Essex KPIs across Healthy Weight, Children & Young People, Active Spaces and Places, and Prevention.
Active Essex has also helped partners navigate challenges that previously hindered progress. Issues such as volunteer capacity within weight‑management services, communication gaps, school engagement barriers and programme sustainability have been openly discussed and escalated through the subgroup, ensuring no single organisation is left to resolve them alone. The introduction of consistent metrics, service‑mapping tools and clearer reporting processes has strengthened the evidence base, enabling the subgroup to demonstrate collective impact in a way that was not previously possible.
This transformation has shifted the subgroup from coordination to genuine system leadership. Partners now plan together, share insight and align their work to shared metrics rather than operating in isolation. The culture has become more proactive, with partners increasingly bringing forward new initiatives such as PCN cardiovascular‑health events and community food‑education workshops. Stronger alignment between PCNs, VCSE organisations and leisure providers has improved signposting and created a more coherent prevention offer for residents. Coordinated communications have increased visibility of local opportunities, while shared mapping and metrics have improved resource targeting and strengthened problem‑solving across the system.
Looking ahead, the subgroup is focused on:
- Scaling Man v Fat and My Weight Matters, addressing venue and scheduling challenges, and strengthening PCN referral pathways.
- School meals provider mapping will be used to co design improvements with ECC Wellbeing and Public Health, while opportunities for Healthy Lunchbox Swaps and expanded community food education programmes are being explored.
- Continued integration of Find Your Active and Navigator pathways will support residents facing barriers to activity.
- The subgroup will maintain its metrics discipline as outcomes feed into the 2025–26 Implementation Plan.
- A key ambition is to secure the appointment of a Public Health Practitioner for Castle Point to further strengthen local capacity.
