£12.7 million for a GP to tell patients to cycle and walk!

[night cycler]

I'm all for patients exercising, together with a bit of safety training for none cyclists, but £12.7 million quid!. There is always someone on the make.
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-62633394

 

[markemark]

I'm all for patients exercising, together with a bit of safety training for none cyclists, but £12.7 million quid!. There is always someone on the make.
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-62633394

How much do you think that will save in the long run with fewer hospital admissions due to poor exercise?

 

[cougie uk]

I'm all for patients exercising, together with a bit of safety training for none cyclists, but £12.7 million quid!. There is always someone on the make.
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-62633394

Sounds like a brilliant plan to me.
Medicine is expensive. Medical care is expensive. Exercise is cheap. And one more person on a bike may be one less car on the road.

The alternative is to do nothing and spend more millions and give drug company shareholders lovely profits.

 

[Jameshow]

Tbh it's a kick bait title.

Social prescribing has much more to it than cycling and walking.

Many high frequency patients are supported by SP and reduces the burden on Dr.

 

[night cycler]

In theory it is a perfect solution. I would imagine that GPs have been telling people to exercise for various health reasons for years. If patients took more notice of their GP, the NHS and doctor's surgeries would not be in the mess that they are in now.

These target patients will get wet twice and go up one hill and that will likely be the end of that. Time will tell.

 

[MichaelW2]

You need a public relations stategy, a brand strategy, a targetted media campaign tested in focus groups. All of this costs money. Top flight consultants are worth their considerable weight in high value NFTs. If there is any left over there might be a bit for cycling lessons and bike repair workshops. Hopefully the voluntary sector will provide these for free.

 

[KnittyNorah]

Making it compulsory to have suitable cycle storage/parking might be a good starting point ... my GP has none but their waiting room is full of posters recommending that you take more exercise ...

 

[BoldonLad]

My GP (and/or local Health Authority, or whatever they are now called) must be really ahead of the game.

After recovering from a heart attack, 25 years ago, my GP wanted to increase my BP medication. I resisted, instead, he then recommended I joined a scheme being run by the local NHS authority. I had the choice of walking, or cycling. I chose cycling, reduced by BP, and lost over a stone in weight. Still cycling 25 years later, and still here.

I believe other activities were available.

I don't think the scheme survived, due to poor take up, by patients.

 

[Time Waster]

My old gym provided for NHS prescribed exercise and rehabilitation. A bunch of fat lasses sitting on a rehabilitation machine getting their butt and back fat wobbled while they chat away and put 5 times the calories back in through high protein shakes or energy drinks while they're grabbing away

I saw two ladies doing that for 2 or 3 years under gp prescription apparently. Nothing changed. Then they they got persuaded to walk on the treadmill. 5 minutes became 10 then half an hour and more. All while chatting away and drinking only water. Then I stopped seeing them due to changes on schedules. Then 6 months later I did see them. Oh what a change! They were nearly half the person they used to be! And you know what, they only got healthier, slimmer and fitter. Just by actually exercising not being wobbled about a bit by machinery intended for rehabilitation of people with serious broken bones and injuries.

Sorry if that offends you with the way I put it. Basically prescribed exercise can work of the quality and effort is there.

BTW a friend went to work in Sweden at a university there. At the time there was a policy of state paying 100% for fitness expenses such as gym membership. Through work I believe. Also, you could claim reasonable expenses to pay for bicycle and cycling equipment for fitness use. My friend got gym membership costing £400 and £600 bike even though only contracted for a year initially. Apparently research into the effectiveness seemed to indicate that the health benefits and savings far exceeded the cost of the scheme.

As to the UK, I wish they had the Swedish scheme as I loved going to the gym but cost now means family comes first and I don't spend the fortune on a gym

 

[DCBassman]

I'm all for patients exercising, together with a bit of safety training for none cyclists, but £12.7 million quid!. There is always someone on the make.
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-62633394

That amount of money is about what it will cost to just get the message to all GPs, and in my experience, most GPs do not read what is sent to them by the Guvmint anyhoo, so it really is a waste of cash...

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Got to buy all those nhs bikes…

 

[mustang1]

In theory it is a perfect solution. I would imagine that GPs have been telling people to exercise for various health reasons for years. If patients took more notice of their GP, the NHS and doctor's surgeries would not be in the mess that they are in now.

These target patients will get wet twice and go up one hill and that will likely be the end of that. Time will tell.

Yea i agree and here is an anecdote: school kids "work" 6 hours a day. Within that 6 hours is a lunch break plus one or two 15 minute breaks. In between each lesson there is a break. On top of that, they have PE at least once a week (probably twice). And they get many weeks off per year for holidays (i think at least 10 weeks off).

Then they goto work.

At work, its 8 hours a day and you might get called in to do overtime. You work those hours then you might be on an on-call rota too. To get any exercise you goto the gym after work and you get much less time off. Plus you're getting older.

I wonder if the health of the nation would be better if we adopted a 6 hour day to be considered full-time work, you get breaks and then some for exercise. Oh, and you get lots of time off during the year. You would get paid less, people won't be able to afford as much, house prices will come down in accordance with people's lower ability to pay and things will stabilize at the prices.

Doctors wont need to tell patients to exercise because it will be part of the fabric of a work/life balance.

Now i did smoke something extra special this morning so this could all be a pipe dream.....