Active and Healthy 4 Life Exercise Referral Scheme

What to expect

If you are over 18 and live in South Cambs and have a diagnosis of one or more of the following conditions (or want to improve your health and fitness prior to surgery) you are eligible for this scheme:

Hypertension
Hypercholesterolaemia
Cancer
Diabetes (Type 1 and 2) or if you are pre-diabetic
Anxiety
Depression
Stress
Joint replacement
Osteoporosis
Osteoarthritis
Rheumatoid Arthritis
Back pain
Asthma
COPD – Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Your health professional completes the referral form, prints it out and gives it to you. This could be your GP, practice nurse, physiotherapist, diabetes specialist, dietician, mental health worker, social prescriber or health coach working for your medical practice. You’ll then need to contact one of the sports centres to book your initial assessment (contact info below). At your initial assessment appointment, you give the completed referral form to your Active & Healthy 4 Life referral instructor who will work with you to create a personal programme.

Once you’ve been referred on to the scheme, you will receive:

• an initial assessment with a qualified referral instructor;
• a personal exercise programme to follow in a gym environment;
• a progress review at the end of the first month, with guidance provided by the instructor;
• access to other classes/sessions on offer at the sports centre (providing health condition and progress means this is appropriate);
• regular contact with the instructor;
• a final assessment at four months with the instructor, and you’ll be discharged from the scheme.

All instructors are qualified to level 3 exercise referral, and will support you in ways appropriate to your medical condition. At Melbourn, Comberton and Cambourne sports centres the instructor has a L4 Cancer Rehabilitation qualification and in Sawston, there are specific exercise classes for people with a health professional referral and for people with cardiac conditions.