Managing rolling programmes

Exercise referral programmes are often run as a course, with a new intake of participants starting and ending on the same date. Rolling programmes don’t have a specific start date can be a great option for some exercise referral participants, as they can get started with little to no wait time. This allows them to act during what we call the ‘ready for change’ stage, when they’re at their most engaged. All programmes are designed to encourage patients to increase their activity levels, but schemes where participants aren’t restricted to a specific start date can give people support and advice when they are motivated to get going and start reaching their health goals. 

For wellbeing teams, however, managing a rolling programme can be trickier, as they often present time-consuming administrative challenges. Here’s our advice to help your teams navigate these challenges and manage rolling programmes seamlessly, while also effectively allowing you to showcase the success of your services.  

Be sure to adjust report parameters so they cover a time frame of at least six months from the referral date. This will ensure your team captures all outcomes accurately. For example, an individual starting a 12-week exercise referral programme may not actually begin until five to six weeks after the referral date. This means they will require a minimum of five months from the date of referral to finish the programme. 

Put a system in place that prompts your team to gather client data at specific stages during your programme. This will ensure data is collated effectively at every key point. Chasing client responses, sending appointment reminders, collecting questionnaire data… all these tasks can be automated in ReferAll. For example, mid-point questionnaires should be completed at week six, or as close to it as you can for each participant, to maintain consistency.  

Ensure that your outcome data collection aligns with your service Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). Take this example: if your commissioner has set a KPI of a certain percentage of weight-loss at week 12, gather weight data at the beginning, middle and end of your rolling programme. This attention to detail could determine whether funding continues. Only with robust monitoring and evaluation procedures will you collate accurate data to inform future developments of your scheme. 

 Overall, the advantages of providing a rolling programme so a person can get started on their wellbeing goals as soon as possible far outweigh the administrative burden. By implementing the tried-and-tested tips from ReferAll, admin will be seamless and positive results will be reflected in scheme outcomes. To find out more about how ReferAll can help you manage all aspects of your physical activity referral schemes, get in touch now!

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