Exercise on referral

Bristol - Exercise referral scheme

Bristol City Council offer an Exercise Referral scheme

Patients can join the scheme if they:

• are currently inactive
• are not a member of a leisure centre 
• have a low or medium risk health condition 
• are ready to start participating in physical activity 

Everyone Active

Full details about the scheme can be found on the Everyone Active site. The scheme is run at Horfield Leisure Centre, Henbury Leisure Centre, St Paul’s Community Sports Academy and Easton Leisure Centre. To refer patients please complete Everyone Active - Online Referral Form (refer-all.net) Please note that patients cannot self-refer.

There is a fee for the scheme which includes full use of facilities gym, swimming and classes, Exercise referrals receive 25% discount off the headline rates.

Current (May 2024) fees are: Horfield £26.24 (You can use all sites), Henbury £22.49, Easton £20.99 and St Paul’s £18.74 per month.

Physical activity referral programmes with other providers

For all others providers, send a referral form (available as EMIS template) to the instructor at the chosen leisure centre or gym. The instructor will contact the patient within two weeks to arrange their first appointment.

The scheme is available at:

• Imperial Sports Ground, Brislington
• Brunel Fitness Centre, Speedwell
• Greenway Centre, Southmead
• Hengrove Park Leisure Centre
• The Park Sports Centre, Knowle
• Elite Sports UK, Kingsdown

 Please see Bristol City Council website for details and contact information: Physical activity referral scheme (bristol.gov.uk)

Physical activity referral programmes for people with specific health conditions

Bristol City Council (BCC) run physical activity and exercise programmes for people with specific health conditions, such as Parkinson's, Stroke, heart conditions, cancer rehab. These are available at a small charge or included in the exercise referral membership above. Please see BCC website for more details.

North Somerset - Exercise referral scheme

North Somerset Council’s Healthy Lifestyles Advisors provide Get Active Support to residents via a 12-week pathway of 1-1 support, either weekly or fortnightly. The first appointment will be for a duration of 40 minutes with remaining appointments lasting 25 minutes.

Advisors use a non-judgemental client-focus approach to discuss sustainable ways to build up physical activity levels with the client.

Eligibility Criteria:

• Resident must currently be inactive (taking part in less than 30 minutes of physical activity per week), and
• Live in North Somerset
• Age 18 or above

All residents engaging in 1-1 or group Get Active support with a Healthy Lifestyles Advisor are asked to compete and sign a Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire (PAR-Q).

How to Refer:

Complete the online Practitioner referral form to refer a patient for Get Active support. Alternatively the patient can self-refer and they will be contacted by a Healthy Lifestyles Advisor to talk through opportunities to get active in North Somerset.

The Healthy Lifestyles Advisor's Get Active webpage can be shared with residents.

See the Better Health North Somerset website for information about Get Active Support in North Somerset.

The website includes information about Get Active Support in North Somerset such as Walking Groups, Park Run,  ParkPlay, Ageing Well Exercise Classes, ESCAPE-pain, Cycling, Get Active Pass, Health Exercise Nutrition (HEN) Postnatal Group, Exercise Referral at Hutton Moor Leisure Centre, Exercise Referral at Scotch Horn Leisure Centre, Active Hearts, MSK Hub at Parish Wharf, Fall-proof, Healthy Living Healthy Minds (Vita Health),  Healthier with Nature, Swimming, Walnut Grove Wellbeing Classes (Portishead), and various local physical activity/movement classes and groups suitable for social prescribing via the online Active Directory.

Steps to Get Active – is a FREE 12-week physical activity group programmes for adults in North Somerset living with a long term health condition/s such as Fibromyalgia, Parkinson’s, Better breathing, Stoke rehab and Cardiac rehab.

South Glos - Exercise referral scheme

A Healthy Lifestyle on referral scheme is delivered by the Circadian Trust via their Active Centres in South Gloucestershire. There is a small charge and patients must meet the criteria specified on the referral form. The referral form should be emailed to: Jim.rollo@circadiantrust.org. The email address is secure and encrypted to receive all NHS emails. See the Active Centres website for more details.

The One You South Gloucestershire page also includes details of the healthy lifestyles and wellbeing service for adults. 

If appropriate, South Gloucestershire practices can also refer patients to the Bristol Everyone Active exercise referral scheme. Please see details and referral form under the Bristol section above.

Escape Pain

Please see information on the Escape Pain exercise course for people with hip and knee OA pain on the Self-management for Hip & Knee pain page of Remedy.

Resources

Moving Medicine, is an organisation which promotes physical activity for all, and especially for those with long term conditions.

They offer information and courses to help professionals discuss physical activity with their patients with more confidence.

A consensus statement about the safety of exercise advice was recently published in the BMJ.

Efforts are made to ensure the accuracy and agreement of these guidelines, including any content uploaded, referred to or linked to from the system. However, BNSSG ICB cannot guarantee this. This guidance does not override the individual responsibility of healthcare professionals to make decisions appropriate to the circumstances of the individual patient, in consultation with the patient and/or guardian or carer, in accordance with the mental capacity act, and informed by the summary of product characteristics of any drugs they are considering. Practitioners are required to perform their duties in accordance with the law and their regulators and nothing in this guidance should be interpreted in a way that would be inconsistent with compliance with those duties.

Information provided through Remedy is continually updated so please be aware any printed copies may quickly become out of date.