Pilot to put 'exercise professional at every GP' launches

A ukactive-led partnership - involving NHS Bedfordshire, teamBEDS&LUTON and local authorities - has been selected as one of 14 pilot projects to receive support from a £5.8m Sport England fund designed to support inactive people to get more active.

The partnership will see a motivational interviewing programme entitled Let's Get Moving being introduced to Bedfordshire and Luton.

Aimed at getting the most inactive members of local communities more active, the initiative includes the target of placing an exercise professional in each GP surgery.

David Stalker, CEO, ukactive said: "At ukactive we have a strong belief that putting an exercise professional into every GP surgery can have a dramatic impact on the health of the nation, particularly so when armed with motivational interviewing techniques, the ability to signpost into welcoming sports and activity sessions, and direct access to patients as part of the practice team.

"This project provides us with another opportunity to prove that case. With local authorities taking on responsibility for public health from April, it is vital that our sector is able to work in partnerships such as this to develop initiatives that deliver the outcomes needed by commissioners so as to be worthy of investment from the £5.45bn ring-fenced public health budget."

The Bedfordshire pilot project follows the testing of the Let's Get Moving model by ukactive and a consortium of partners with five Primary Care Trusts in Essex. This saw 504 previously inactive participants amass a total of 164m 'steps', accounting to 48,000 active hours, 11.2m kcal and 69,000 miles walked.