WSA member GoodBoost part of pilot to transform leisure centres, swimming pools, and gyms into musculoskeletal health hubs
Welsh Sports Association (WSA) member GoodBoost has worked towards a pilot to transform leisure centres, swimming pools, and gyms into musculoskeletal (MSK) health hubs to play a greater role in supporting the NHS and social care services.
GoodBoost has collaborated with ukactive, Orthopaedic Research UK, ESCAPE-pain, and Arthritis Action for this initiative, which will now see the pilot rolled out at 100 sites across the UK.
MSK conditions are the primary cause of disability among older adults, with more than 20 million people in the UK experiencing related problems such as arthritis, chronic pain, or a knee replacement.
Figures show that 70% of the NHS budget is spent on such preventable conditions, while lost mobility also forces many people to enter care homes early.
Launched across 15 sites last year, the pilot will show how the programme could reduce pressure on acute healthcare services in primary and secondary settings, by managing conditions in community settings which are more easily accessible.
The MSK health hubs will provide exercise, rehabilitation, and wellbeing support to help people maintain mobility, reduce pain, and improve the health of patients before and after surgery.
As well as support from instructors, users will have access to computer tablets for tailored online guidance for their exercises.
In addition to preventing people from needing acute healthcare services, the programme will reduce health inequalities by providing local, accessible, self-management options.
Headed by ukactive, the MSK health hubs programme is the latest example of the health value and community services provided by the nation’s swimming pools, gyms and leisure centres, as many face the threat of permanent closure due to financial pressures.
Learn more about the project on the ukactive website, here!
CEO of GoodBoost, Ben Wilkins, commented:
“The MSK hubs programme demonstrates what great partnership working can achieve: a replicable, rapid deployment package of training, technology and ongoing support.
“This is a great opportunity to transform any leisure venue, gym or swimming pool into a hub for health and wellbeing, delivering a triple bottom line: greater local health capacity that supports the NHS, increased footfall to leisure facilities and improved MSK health outcomes for local citizens.”
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