Pioneering GP activity scheme piloted across surgeries in South Shields

The Every Move Matters project is a co-designed local activity partnership funded by Rise, a charity that works with communities across Northumberland and Tyne & Wear to improve access to health and wellbeing activities.

The programme works by allowing older adult patients to be proactively identified through health system data and invited along to take part in a series of wellbeing activities.

Throughout the eight weeks, participants are supported by Active Families North East, Gorilla Training and South Tyneside Council’s Healthy Lives team to increase physical activity levels and improve social connectivity.

The first cohort of 20 individuals are currently taking part in the supported sessions which will prepare participants for continued engagement with wider health and wellbeing activities in the local area, including a recommended follow-up class at Marsden Road Community Centre.

 Amy Swan, Director at Active Families North East, said: “We’re already delivering a number of free fitness activities for older individuals across the South Shields area through our Well Bean machine project, so were delighted to team up with Rise North East and the GP practices to deliver a tailored program designed to bring health and fitness activities to older individuals in a fun and creative way.

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 “Throughout the eight weeks we will introduce participants to varied activities including games of bowls, dance activities and seated exercise, of course including our signature pom poms. Feedback from the class so far has been fantastic and we’ve found that individuals are already seeking additional fitness activities to take part in outside of their sessions.”

 A full evaluation of the programme will be carried out by NENC ARC (Applied research collaborative) on behalf of RISE and it is hoped that the project will encourage other NHS surgeries to adopt this approach and collaborate more closely with local activity providers to support patient outcomes.

Michael Ali, Active Ageing Development Worker at RISE NE, said: “Integrated community partnerships provide a unique opportunity to optimise the health and independence of our ageing communities and we are confident that the Every Move Matters programme can achieve significant improvements in patient outcomes without creating an additional burden for healthcare teams.

“It’s been wonderful to see how much fun participants have during the sessions and there is genuine excitement for the upcoming week’s activities.

“We’d like to thank Active Families North East alongside all of our fantastic partnering organisations and GP Practices for their endless support and commitment to the programme, we’re already looking forward to welcoming people to take part in the second cohort in South Shields.”

A participant of the programme, said: “The staff have been fantastic. They have brought humour to the class which has increased my motivation. As a result of the class, I have increased my frequency of walking and I hope to attend future fitness classes too.”

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Nadine Farrow, Practice Manager at Both Marsden Road & Wawn Street Surgeries, said: “Our team has grown over the last few years and our Care Navigators have a number of options available to get patients to the right person to help them with their healthcare at the right time, first time, so we were delighted to work in partnership with this project.  

“Empowering patients to be as active as possible for as long as possible is invaluable and has additional benefits of combating social isolation and opens the doors to exciting new opportunities.’

Katherine Mason-Gage, Service Manager Communities at Groundwork who run Marsden Road Community Centre, added: "Active Families North East is currently delivering its Well Bean Machine project across the South Tyneside area, offering free gentle seated exercise classes to older individuals.

To find out more about the programme and how you can get involved, please fill out your details on Active Families’ Referral Form https://www.activefamiliesne.co.uk/