William Roberts steps up as new chair of the Swimming and Health Commission

Swim England has appointed William Roberts, chief executive of the Royal Society of Public Health, as the new chair of its Swimming and Health Commission group.

William will officially begin in the role from the group’s next meeting on September 10, replacing former Swim England CEO Jane Nickerson who took up the position following the Covid-19 pandemic.

Formed in 2016, the Swimming and Health Commission produced a landmark publication the following year in the form of the Health and Wellbeing Benefits of Swimming Report, which outlined the significant evidence supporting the benefits of swimming to individual health, society and the economy.

The group also supported the development of the Water Wellbeing programme, which has allowed more opportunities for people with long term health conditions to be more active, in collaboration with pool providers across the country.

The group includes representatives from Active Partnerships, Aquatics GB, Aquatic Therapy Association of Chartered Physiotherapists, Centre for Perioperative Care, British Society of Lifestyle Medicine, Everyone Active, Good Boost, Mind, Office for Health Improvement and Disparities, Richmond Group of Charities, Royal College of GPs, Royal College of Nursing, UK International Health Coaching Association, University of Nottingham and Versus Arthritis.

Extensive experience

William has been Chief Executive of the Royal Society for Public Health since 2022. He has been a senior leader in the NHS across roles in public health, commissioning, strategy, transformation and planning. He is a registered nurse who has worked in both hospital and community services, and as a nurse specialist in tuberculosis and HIV.

William is a Non-Executive Director of Housing 21 and a Non- Executive Director of POBL a Welsh housing and care provider and was previously Deputy Chair at Terrence Higgins Trust. He brings a wealth of experience across public health and inequalities from the healthcare, charity sector, social care, housing, local government and further education.

Andy Salmon, Swim England Chief Executive, has welcomed William to this new role and praised the work of the group in furthering the emphasis of aquatics on health and wellbeing.

He said: “I’m delighted to welcome William to his new role. I am incredibly enthusiastic about the opportunity that swimming in all its forms has to positively impact the health of the nation.

“To have so many great minds and such incredible combined knowledge and experience around one table is phenomenal and I could not be more excited about the direction of travel.”

William, meanwhile, has outlined his interest and initial thoughts about the role.

He says “We know that swimming has a really positive impact on people’s health and wellbeing. Helping more people realise those benefits is key to building a healthier future. Collaboration and partnership across different industries is a vital part of that future.

“I am excited to join the Commission as Chair, working alongside so many experts from different sectors. Together, we will work to ensure that the benefits of swimming are accessible to more members of our society.”

Members of the Swimming and Health Commission group have recently supported work around health related qualification and CPD development. They have provided expert technical input to a range of swimming with health condition fact sheets and have supported research leading to the development of the Swimming as Medicine campaign and an Aquatic Activity and Swimming for Health eLearn for healthcare professionals with NHS England.

Each member’s input and influence has seen a shift in awareness and emphasis on swimming for health and wellbeing, particularly within the healthcare sector, and it is hoped this will continue to improve with this new appointment.

For more information on the work of the group and Swim England around health and wellbeing see: https://www.swimming.org/swimengland/health-and-wellbeing/ or contact: [email protected].