Active Health programme a success (From Salisbury Journal)
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Active Health programme a success
5:18pm Sunday 24th February 2013 in News By Morwenna Blake
A PROGRAMME of prescribing physical activities for patients as part of their treatment has been hailed a major success.
Wiltshire Council, NHS Wiltshire, DC Leisure and Active Health launched the physical activity referral programme Active Health, for people with specific medical conditions, in February last year.
One year on the Active Health programme has 97 percent of GPs signed up and over 2,000 referrals have been made.
Of those referrals, 28 percent have completed their 12-week programme giving the county one of the highest completion rates in the country.
People wanting to participate in the Active Health programme should arrange an appointment with their GP to discuss if they are suitable for referral.
Maggie Rae, corporate director for Wiltshire Council, said: “It has become increasingly clear in recent years that physical activity should be encouraged across the population as there is a clear link between lack of physical activity and chronic disease.
“The risks of engaging in physical activity are low for most of the population, but the risks of poor health resulting from inactivity are high.
“Here in Wiltshire, we are keen to give people who can benefit from increasing physical activity the opportunity to access a range of opportunities that can help to improve their health.”
