NHS walking reward scheme launches to get Britain moving

The NHS is set to pay people to walk 30 minutes a day under a new national scheme that health bosses hope will tackle the country’s growing physical inactivity crisis. The programme, dubbed “marathon a month,” was developed alongside Sir Brendan Foster, the British distance runner who won bronze at the 1976 Montreal Olympics, and is expected to launch in early 2025.

How the scheme works

Participants who commit to walking roughly a marathon’s worth of steps across a single month — around 26.2 miles in total — will be eligible for rewards through the programme. That breaks down to just under a mile a day, or about 30 minutes of brisk walking for most people. Incentives are expected to include vouchers, discounts, and access to NHS-linked health tools, though the full reward structure hasn’t been confirmed yet.

It’s a deliberately low bar. And that’s the point.

The scheme is designed to reach people who wouldn’t set foot in a gym but might, with a small nudge, change their daily routine. Organisers say they’re targeting the roughly 12 million adults in England classified as physically inactive — defined as doing fewer than 30 minutes of moderate activity per week.

The case for walking

Walking might not look glamorous on paper, but the evidence behind it is hard to argue with. Studies consistently show that regular moderate walking reduces the risk of type 2 diabetes by up to 30%, cuts cardiovascular disease risk, and has measurable benefits for mental health. The NHS currently spends an estimated £7.4 billion a year treating conditions directly linked to physical inactivity.

Sir Brendan Foster, who founded the Great North Run in 1981, has long championed mass participation in exercise. His involvement signals that the scheme is as much about public culture as it is about clinical outcomes. “Getting people walking is one of the simplest things we can do for the nation’s health,” a spokesperson for the programme said. “You don’t need kit, you don’t need a membership. You just need to start.”

Sceptics and challenges

But not everyone is convinced. Critics have questioned whether short-term vouchers are enough to drive lasting behaviour change, pointing to previous NHS wellness incentive pilots that saw strong initial uptake followed by sharp drop-off rates. A 2022 review of activity reward apps found that engagement typically falls by 40% after the first eight weeks.

There are also questions about who the scheme will actually reach. Wealthier, more educated adults tend to engage more with digital health programmes, while those in deprived communities — who often face greater health risks — are harder to recruit and retain.

What happens next

The NHS plans to roll the scheme out nationally in early 2025, with a digital tracking component likely delivered through an app. Pilot data from regional trials will inform how the reward structure is fine-tuned before the full launch. Still, health officials are cautiously optimistic. If even a fraction of inactive adults build a walking habit that sticks, the long-term savings to the health service could be substantial.