Co-locating health and physical activity’

The National Centre for Sport & Exercise Medicine (NCSEM) in Sheffield delivers an innovative co-location model, where NHS services are located in leisure facilities they share with physical activity providers.

By delivering NHS appointments within community leisure facilities, NHS staff and patients experience an environment that encourages physical activity and promotes wellbeing. The facilities are designed to be deliberately different to traditional clinical settings. Research shows that the approach normalises physical activity and supports people to make lifestyle changes.

Across three leisure centres in Sheffield, the NCSEM has 37 clinical rooms that are used by over 20 clinical services from Sheffield Teaching Hospitals, Sheffield Children’s Hospital and Sheffield Health and Social Care Trust. The clinical services that offer appointments within co-located facilities include musculoskeletal, diabetes, long covid, podiatry, psychotherapy and rheumatology.

Benefits of delivering NHS clinics within co-located facilities

·       Environment promotes wellbeing and self management.

·       Encouragement of physical activity throughout the facility e.g. posters, waiting room videos, visibility of people being active.

·       Opportunity to build relationships with exercise professionals. 

·       Clinicians can incorporate physical activity and use fitness facility during appointments.

·       Direct links and referral routes into physical activity.

·       Large clinic rooms, free parking and new building.

·       Group rooms available.

·       Free access for staff to be active themselves.

Evaluation

Our colocation model has been operating for 8 years. During this time, we’ve gained lots of practical insights which is underpinned by research from our team at Sheffield Hallam University. The research shows how, why, for whom and under what circumstances collocating health and physical activity works.

Here is our latest PhD study https://shura.shu.ac.uk/30859/19/Grinvalds_2022_PhD_Co-locationHealthLeisure.pdf

Support

Research shows that clinical environments impact how people perceive their health conditions. We believe that all clinical environments should be designed in a way that encourages physical activity, wellbeing and self management, to improve health and reduce the burden on our health system.

We would like to use our learning from Sheffield to support other areas. This includes advice on how to design spaces to maximum effect, overcome logistical challenges, develop partnerships and sustain the model.

For more information, please get in touch with Beth Brown -NCSEM Operations Manager beth.brown12@nhs.net