There has never been a better time for the health and leisure industry to become the cornerstone of local health delivery, but there is still some way to go before reforms introduced by the Health and Social Care Act 2012 can work in a real world setting, according to Dave Stalker, CEO of ukactive.

The introduction of health and wellbeing boards (HWBs) has been viewed mainly as a positive step, with the new system allowing for those working in health and social care to come together to help make the best decisions in line with local needs.

However, some criticism has leaned towards the supposed ineffectual nature of HWBs, with their focus merely leading to increased bureaucracy.

“I’m at times inclined to agree with this view: there are few signs that boards have begun to tackle urgent problems facing their health and social care systems,” says Stalker.

“However, changes will be slow as many HWBs are still delivering public health contracts inherited by the now defunct PCTs. HWBs need time to settle into their role, ensure their structures and governance is effective, and get comfortable making the difficult choices they’ve been set up to make.”

Despite the time required for HWBs to become more comprehensively effective, they do carry important potential for change.

“Their potential comes from bringing together politicians with both clinical and public health commissioners, providing a powerful platform for local leadership,” ukactive's CEO adds.

“There are opportunities to be had and contracts to be won, and I urge all providers to speak to their local Healthwatch to see how they can fit in with local health delivery.”

According to Stalker, to further the beneficial impact of HWBs and last year’s reforms, there needs to be a large shift to reposition the idea of exercise in our societal framework.

“An industrial scale shift in society is needed to re-embed physical activity into people’s lives. We must develop and put evidence on the desks of the HWBs of what works, and how. When we do this, I’m confident they’ll pay attention.”

Stalker’s full assessment of the reforms can be viewed in the May edition of Health Club Management magazine.