17 Practical Steps for Successful Implementation of an Exercise Referral Scheme

1. Have clear referral criteria: Establish clear criteria for who is eligible for the exercise referral scheme. This could include people with specific health conditions, such as heart disease, obesity, or depression. Usually being physically inactive is part of a scheme's inclusion criteria rather than the only criteria.

2. Choose the right exercise professionals: Aim for Choose exercise professionals who are not only qualified in Level 4 Exercise Referral, experienced, and knowledgeable in working with people with health conditions. Consider using accredited exercise professionals who have completed specialised training, such as this course provided by Future Fit: Exercise Referral for Health Management. A personal training qualification is differs from exercise referral standards.

3. Establish good communication with referring healthcare professionals: Establish good communication between exercise professionals and referring healthcare professionals to ensure that referrals are made efficiently and effectively. Take a look at ReferAll's Pathway Solutions.

4. Develop a comprehensive client assessment: Develop a comprehensive assessment that takes into account the person's physical activity level, health status, readiness to change, mental wellbeing and health goals. This will help the exercise professional tailor the exercise programme to meet the person's needs.

5. Provide a range of exercise options: Provide a range of exercise options to suit different preferences, fitness levels, and health conditions. This could include group exercise classes, personal training sessions, or home-based exercise programs.

6. Ensure that exercise is safe and effective: Ensure that exercise programmes are safe and effective for people with health conditions. This may involve providing additional support, such as modified exercise equipment or additional supervision. Checkout Innerva's Power Assisted Exercise Equipment.

7. Encourage regular monitoring and follow-up by your team: Monitoring and follow-up is an essential part of your process pathway, to ensure participants are getting the most benefit from the exercise referral scheme. Our reporting and tasks management tools are powerful solutions to help get every member of the team knowing what and when they are doing next!

8. Use technology to support delivery: Use technology, such as online client management software, similar to a CRM (customer relationship management), to support the delivery of the exercise referral scheme. That's where a client management platform, such as ReferAll, does the hard work for you. 

9. Provide education and support: Provide education and support to help participants understand the benefits of being more active and how to incorporate it into their daily lives. These can be in the form of face-to-face or online: workshops, access to health apps and online resources.

10. Foster a supportive and welcoming environment: Foster a supportive and welcoming environment where participants feel comfortable taking part in exercise. This may involve using positive reinforcement, providing social support, and addressing any barriers to participation.

11. Offer incentives for participation: Offer incentives for participation, such as discounts on gym/swim/class membership or access to special events, to encourage people to stick with the exercise referral scheme.

12. Provide ongoing support: Provide ongoing support to ensure that people continue to be active and make progress towards their health goals.

13. Collaborate with other organisations: Collaborate with other organisations, such as local community groups or charities, to provide additional support and resources.

14. Use social media to promote the scheme: Use social media to promote the exercise referral scheme and engage with people who are interested in getting involved. Case studies are a great way to encourage lifestyle changes.

15. Offer tailored programmes for specific populations: Offer tailored programmes for specific populations, such as older adults, people with disabilities, or people with specific health conditions. These work well in group settings for peer support.

16. Evaluate the scheme regularly: Monitor and evaluate the scheme regularly to assess its effectiveness and identify areas for improvement. Discover our tried and tested Reporting Solution that helps your service grow more.

17. Continuously review and improve: Continuously review and improve the exercise referral scheme based on feedback from participants and healthcare professionals. This will help to ensure that the scheme is meeting the needs of the people it serves and delivering the best possible outcomes.

By following these actionable tips, you can ensure that your exercise referral scheme is effective and successful in helping people with underlying or diagnosed medical conditions improve their physical and mental health through becoming more active.