Prominent health and fitness organisations have given their backing to Health Club Management magazine’s call for an industry-wide lobby against the government’s decision to remove physical activity from the Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF).

The QOF, a voluntary incentive scheme for GP practices in the UK that rewards them for how well they care for patients, will be slimmed down by about 40 per cent from April. The scrapping of physical activity from the framework means it is far less likely to be integrated into care pathways, despite evidence that it could be used effectively by the NHS to manage and prevent over 20 conditions.

In an editorial for January’s Health Club Management (HCM) magazine, editor Kate Cracknell called on the health and fitness sector to “push back immediately and lobby to have physical activity reinstated on the QOF.”

She cited a report published in October’s British Medical Journal, which showed that exercise can be at least as effective as many frequently prescribed drugs in treating leading causes of death such as heart disease, stroke and diabetes.

According to Nuffield Health, the decision has undermined the work done by many health organisations and charities to improve public understanding and awareness of the positive impact of exercise on mental and physical health.

“This move potentially reduces the importance attributed to physical activity when it comes to improving health. By removing it from the QOF, it appears we are downgrading its importance in some way,” says Dr Davina Deniszczyc, Nuffield’s wellbeing medical director.

“Although we recognise GPs are under time pressure, saving a few minutes here and there is an aimless task if more people end up developing lifestyle diseases such as type 2 diabetes and obesity – conditions that we know are aided by increased physical activity.”

With persistent talk of securing an “Olympic legacy” and the recent establishment of an all new All Party Commission on Physical Activity to tackle the UK’s inactivity issues, the government appears to be sending out mixed messages by removing physical activity from the QOF.

ukactive believes more training is needed to ensure physical activity’s inclusion as a treatment option. It points out that a key part of Cracknell’s article highlights how GPs are often unaware or unconvinced of the benefits of exercise.

ukactive CEO David Stalker says: “Improving the training of primary care professionals on the specific health benefits of physical activity, and making evidence based interventions available to healthcare professionals, have to be the next steps to achieve a healthier and more active nation.”