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There has been positive news for the UK’s leisure and sports industries with the government’s recent announcements relating to NHS reform. At last, healthcare professionals will be able to prioritise the prescription of exercise and wellbeing activities to patients, instead of signing them off work.
As part of an inspiring initiative intended to both encourage people back to the workplace, and improve community healthcare, GPs will now be able to refer individuals to a local sports centre or gym, as a priority action, to help aid their recovery.
The strategy is based on the GP referral schemes that were first implemented in the 1990s as a response to concerns about the general public health. During this time the Chief Medical Officer made recommendations to the UK’s health practitioners regarding the benefits of physical exercise in combating illness and chronic diseases. The ideology was adopted by many primary care trusts that provided patients with access to structured exercise programmes via referrals and encouragement from their doctor.
Delta Computer Services was proud to be involved in this groundbreaking project as the supplier of the Scuba Leisure Management Software (LMS) that supported GP surgeries in their work in this area.
The 2025 adaptation of the initiative has moved the issue one step further forward by now ensuring GPs can prioritise physical exercise as a treatment, a move that will be beneficial in tackling the nation’s sick note issue.
Statistics show that there are currently 2.8 million people not working in the UK due to poor health, and a more intelligent ‘back to work’ programme is now essential. The Health Secretary, Wes Streeting, recently explained “this pilot marks the end of a broken system that’s been failing patients and holding back our economy for far too long. Right now, we’re issuing 11 million fit notes a year, with 93 per cent simply dismissing people as ‘not fit for work’ — that’s not healthcare, that’s a bureaucratic dead end”.
Under the new pilot programme GPs will be allocated finances to employ dedicated teams that will help people find a job or return to work. In addition to referrals to health and leisure centres, patients will also be able to receive advice on debt management and career counselling.
The pilot scheme, to be trialled in fifteen locations across the country, will see the establishment of community health centres staffed with teams that will include nurses, doctors, social care workers, pharmacists, health visitors, palliative care staff and paramedics.
“We’re changing this conversation” said Streeting, “instead of GPs spending precious time rubber-stamping people out of the workforce, we’re supporting providers to bring in specialists — occupational therapists, work coaches, social prescribers — who can actually help people navigate back into employment while managing their health conditions.”
With this important financial and logistical support, the future is looking brighter for people’s general wellbeing, a GP’s workload, and the continuing busy turnstiles at our local leisure centres.
