EXERCISE REFERRAL “Could GPs be sued for NOT recommending exercise?”

but by no means exclusively, in areas of deprivation. Users and local communities will be involved heavily in planning projects and Health Action Zone bids will be a priority.

National Lottery money totalling £300 million for the UK has been allocated to a New Opportunities Fund for Healthy Living Centres of which England will receive £232.5m, Scotland £34.5m, Wales £19.5m and Northern Ireland £13.5m.

Aligned closely with the issue of responsibility is the issue of staff training. Exercise England and the national training organisation for fitness (SPRITO) in consultation with various medical professionals are developing a set of National Occupation Standards.

The standards will govern the qualifications required for those teaching different risk populations from the healthy to those with severe disease. These standards of education will eventually be incorporated into the National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) scheme.

The standards for basic risk populations have been finalised and are already being used as a guide for specific training programmes linked to exercise referral schemes.

Levels one and two of the National Occupational Standards include competencies such as planning, delivering, adapting and evaluating exercise for healthy adults. Levels three and above, which are currently being discussed, will include competencies for dealing with low, medium and high risk populations.

Government policy

developments Healthy Living Centres are a recent Government initiative launched to complement the public health strategy ‘Our Healthier Nation’. The focus of the centres is on promoting health and improving quality of life, particularly,

22 SportEX

The New Opportunities Fund has said in its guidance for bidding that referral schemes are well within the bounds of the remit for this new money.

Applications for bidding opened earlier this year and the first successful bids are due to be announced in the next two months.

Exercise referral clearly has some obstacles to overcome but these recent developments and the lessons they offer give a clear path for the progression of schemes.

While the changes resulting from the schemes might be small they are significant when large numbers of people experience them and there can be no doubt that things are now moving in the right direction and with strong purpose.

Thought provoker:

Epidemiological studies have clearly shown that morbidity and mortality from a range of chronic diseases are lower in physically active groups compared to sedentary groups – could GPs be sued for NOT recommending exercise?

Resources

1. Copies of the Health Education Authority review ‘Effectiveness of physical activity promotion schemes in primary care: a review’ are available at a cost of £15. Contact the HEA book service on 01235 465565 or 01235 465658.

2. For general enquiries on the New Opportinuities Fund, telephone 0845 0000120 or see the New Opportunities website at http://www.nof.org.uk

3. The National Quality Assurance Framework will be available through the Department of Health later in the year.

This article was written by Tor Davies, SportEX editor, with assistance from Dr Andrew Craig, chief executive of Exercise England.

In future issues

• Legal advice for exercise referral • Guidelines on measuring fitness • Common factors and profiles of successful schemes

• Exercise advice for patients with a wide range of diseases

• Advice on patient assessment, motivational techniques and behavioural change strategies