➤➤➤➤➤➤➤➤➤➤➤➤➤➤➤➤➤➤➤ cancer programmes
Group exercise clearly addressed the side- effects, with the active group feeling less tired, less depressed and more willing to
return to active life Active patients may
cost the NHS £1,500 less per person than inactive patients, one cancer study estimates
chi – these are activities that are unlikely to cause injuries, while improving wellbeing, helping to modulate pain pathways and counteracting the wasting of muscles. Certain individuals need to be cautious about placing unhealthy stresses on bones,” he says. So professional advice is key here and
Macmillan’s report notes that physical activity should be incorporated into standard NHS care, comprising brief interventions by GPs and primary care nurses to set out goals and provide information, supported by cancer rehabilitation services that include physiotherapy, exercise on referral, commissioned schemes in leisure centres and other signposting. And it is at this stage that fi tness facilities have their chance to play a part in helping over two million people living with and beyond cancer in the UK (forecast to hit nearly four million by 2030) to get fi t.
specialist skills Dr Anna Campbell, director of CanRehab, led a Glasgow-based study
published in the British Medical Journal, which followed 200 breast cancer patients through and post treatment. Half of the women participated in group exercise, while the other half did not. “Group exercise clearly addressed
the side-effects, with the active group feeling less tired, less depressed and more willing to return to active life,” Campbell says. This has resulted in the formation of ActiveABC, a city-wide referral scheme funded by Glasgow City Council that sees GPs, oncologists and surgeons assessing breast cancer patients for a 12-week group exercise scheme in council-funded leisure centres. Campbell has trained the staff in
each of the four facilities running the programme, which comprises circuit- based strength training twice a week. Participants are also encouraged to use other facilities alongside these sessions, such as swimming pools and yoga classes. “We have estimated that these women
end up costing the NHS £1,500 less per person than non-active patients thanks to fewer GP visits and fewer nights in hospital,” Campbell continues. “We are trying to show that the NHS should provide exercise referral schemes as part of its cancer care package, with better links established between PCTs and leisure centres/health clubs.” While many of the Glasgow
participants have later gone on to attend classes in the leisure centres, Campbell says that it was important for them to be part of a cancer group initially because they learned from each other while going through similar experiences. Most importantly, she believes
Leisure centres could have a key role to play in cancer survivorship
62
exercise instructors require specialist training when working with individuals
Read Health Club Management online at
healthclubmanagement.co.uk/digital
during and after treatment, because there are side-effects specifi c to cancer types that can affect mobility – for example, swelling associated with lymphoedema. Other doctors confi rm that the lack of a suitable qualifi cation in the past has reduced the number of patients they could safely refer. As a SkillsActive-endorsed provider,
CanRehab is one of the fi rst UK training providers to offer a REPs Level 4 Cancer Rehabilitation qualifi cation, which includes 35 hours of training over four months covering cancers, treatments, side-effects, contra-indications and guidelines. Exercise referral specialist The Wright Foundation is also due to gain its endorsement for its Level 4 cancer qualifi cation imminently. Bournemouth-based leisure trust
BH Live is another organisation showing tangible results, with a physical activity-based survivorship project delivered and funded in partnership with Macmillan and The Royal Bournemouth and Christchurch Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. The 12-week plan comprised the
referral of post-treatment breast and colorectal cancer patients by specialist nurses to the Littledown Centre, where GP Referral-qualifi ed staff with enhanced skills relating to cancer services provided a personalised plan of activity. This involved unlimited use of facilities and classes within the centre, four one-to-one assessments and goal- setting sessions, plus bespoke group sessions responding to post-treatment needs. Participants reported signifi cant physical and health gains (eg blood pressure, weight reduction) as well as improvements in quality of life.
october 2011 © cybertrek 2011
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