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Using local insight to influence data-driven change

The second in a series of three blogs by Ipsos on the evaluation of our system partner investment focuses on the work of Intelligent Health.

30th April 2025

by Mylene Pacot
Director of public affairs, Ipsos

Ipsos, in partnership with NPC and Sheffield Hallam University, are working with Sport England on an evaluation of their investment into system partners. 

This blog, the second in our series, provides an opportunity for us to explore how this new approach to funding by Sport England is ‘building a movement for change’, by looking in depth at the work of a sample of system partners.

Our case study with Intelligent Health highlights what they are learning about influencing systemic change while also delivering programmes on the ground.

Intelligent Health was established in 2010 to provide opportunities for people to improve their health. 

Their flagship programme is Beat the Street (BTS) – an interactive game that aims for people to increase their levels of physical activity and engage with green spaces. 

When running BTS campaigns, Intelligent Health build partnerships with local councils and community-based organisations, involving people across health, transport, education and leisure to create an integrated and locally-owned initiative.

Since 2022 they have been funded through Sport England’s long-term system partner portfolio. 

This funding aims to enable Intelligent Health to both deliver their place-based programmes and to act in a new and wider systemic role, connecting and influencing others in the system nationally to tackle inequalities through sport and physical activity.

We were interested in considering whether, and how, a wider-reaching systemic role is making a difference to the work of different system partners.

There are two points that particularly stand out for us about how Intelligent Health are operating as a system partner:

There is power in using local-level data as evidence to national policy-makers.

The mass engagement generated through the different local Beat the Street interventions generates a wealth of data on population health, physical activity behaviour, rural accessibility and social isolation among specific groups.

Intelligent Health use the data gathered from various Beat the Street programmes to inform national discussions to advocate for policies that support wider implementation of successful approaches. 

We also bring their knowledge of the national policy context back into their development of local interventions and partnerships, illustrating the mutual benefits of having local delivery and wider system-facing roles working together.

Genuine collaboration is essential for local ownership, but is not always easy.

Running Beat the Street campaigns in different locations relies on securing matched-funding from local authorities, which is challenging in the current economic climate. 

Intelligent Health also have to navigate the long-standing silos between organisations that work across the health and wellbeing agenda, and engage with organisations with different levels of maturity or readiness to engage in system-change approaches.

However, Intelligent Health’s experience suggests that, when there is genuine collaboration and commitment from different partners, there are ripple effects on local system strategies that support improvements to community health and wellbeing.

We believe the learning from Intelligent Health illustrates how Sport England’s system partners are able to use data as an instrument for change. 

Our ongoing evaluation and learning activities seek to explore further the collective contributions that partners are making to changing the sport and physical activity system.

Our next blog will explore how data and insight on inequalities in sport participation are prompting system partners to develop more targeted interventions.

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