Sandwell Physical Activity Referral Programme

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Sandwell Physical Activity Referral Programme

• Helen Brock
• Sandwell Primary Care Trust

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Background

• Sandwell has 6 towns
• Funded by PCT
• Been running for 4 years
• Gradually grown in size and reputation across
  Sandwell
• Aim is to encourage participants to be more
  physically active in their day-day life
• Successful scheme but now struggling with new
  challenges (e.g. NICE) and large numbers

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Where and who runs the scheme?

• 13 health and fitness assessment centres
• 2 Leisure Centres, 2 schools, 8 community
  centres, 1 GP practice
• Covers the whole of Sandwell
• 20 staff trained to GP referral standard.
• Also have in-house training sessions
• 1 full time coordinator (but this programme is
  not the only part of role)

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Health Professionals

• All have a briefing session
• At least one person per GP surgery in Sandwell is
  registered to refer patients
• Secondary Care Services
• Physiotherapy, diabetes specialist nurses,
  respiratory nurses,
• CVD Risk Project

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Referral Process

• Referral by health professional
• Appointment made at one of the centres
• 1-1 assessment
• PAR-Q, various health and fitness checks,
  lifestyle questions, physical activity advice
• 10 week exercise period
• Support through 10 weeks
• 10 week re-assessment
• Further advice, other lifestyle referrals
• 6 and 12 month follow ups

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Inclusion / Exclusion

• Inclusion
• Patients who are aged16
• suffer a medical condition
• sedentary
• Exclusion
• Symptomatic CHD or asymptomatic post MI who have
  not undergone coronary rehab programme.
• Uncontrolled hypertension gt160/100mmHg
• Unstable diabetics (cant exercise below 5 or
  above17 mmols/l)
• Uncontrolled or acute heart failure
• Ventricular or aortic aneurysm
• Uncontrolled tachycardia (gt100bpm at rest)
• Unstable or recently diagnosed angina (last 3
  months)

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Physical Activity Options

• 10 week exercise programme FREE
• Leisure Centre Activities
• EXTEND
• Home based exercise
• Walking independent and health walks
• Green Gym
• Gardening
• Daily routine changes
• Cycling

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Self-referrals

• Scheme also takes self-referrals
• Same process but no free exercise
• Also target this work with whole community groups
  / workplaces

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Results from last year

• Quarterly monitored but annually reported
• April 2005 March 2006
• 1529 patients (66 female, 41 aged 30-50 years
  old and 46 over 50)
• 58 white British, 42 BME
• 60 health professional referrals, 40
  self-referrals
• Most popular medical conditions suffered
  hypertension, obesity, diabetes, arthritis and
  other (general stress and anxiety)

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Results Continued

• 55 returned for re-assessment
• 73 of those had increased their activity levels
• Most had increased their activity by 2-3 days
• The main activities adhered to after 10 weeks
  were home based programmes, walking and then
  exercise classes and the gym
• Total of 2038 health improvements were recorded
  the main one being overall fitness.

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Challenges

• NICE guidance and being part of a research
  programme
• Large numbers of referrals emphasis on quality
  rather than quantity
• Ensuring right type of patient comes through on
  scheme
• Free Exercise long term sustainability
• Looking to revamp scheme 1st April 2007
• Meeting tomorrow to get the process started

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• Thanks for listening
• Questions?