Registered Charity Everybody Health and Leisure is celebrating a new collaboration with One Wirral CIC, to deliver a Cancer Prehabilitation programme in four of their leisure facilities in Cheshire East.
Cheshire and Merseyside Cancer Alliance Board has commissioned One Wirral CIC, who have subcontracted Everybody Health and Leisure, to deliver the exercise element of the service.
Lucy Holmes, Wellbeing Lead at One Wirral CIC and the Manager of the Cancer Prehabilitation Service shares:
“We are really excited to be working in partnership with Everybody Health and Leisure. This collaboration will enhance the offer to cancer patients awaiting surgery allowing them to improve their health.
The service will be referrals from Macclesfield and Leighton Hospital, for patients that are about to have cancer surgery, once we do the assessment, we will then be referring them over to Everybody Health and Leisure where they will start their cancer physical activity journey.”
Prehabilitation services can improve treatment outcomes, reduce the likelihood of post-surgery complications, and reduce the length of time patients spend in hospital. One Wirral CIC have seen fantastic outcomes with prehab, such as:
Ninety eight percent reported increased or maintained physical activity. Ninety three percent reported reduced or maintained levels of fatigue. Ninety nine percent reported improved or maintained mental wellbeing. Five percent reduction in length of stay in colorectal and urological cancer patients.
Gavin McKeith, Health Referral Lead and one of the Level 4 Cancer Rehabilitation Instructors delivering the Cancer Prehabilitation programme at Everybody Health and Leisure shares:
“On the programme, patients will complete a circuit-based exercise class, including cardiovascular exercises to help improve their aerobic fitness and strength and mobility. Exercises are tailored to the patients individual needs to ensure they are working towards their own physical goal and ensuring the patients are as fit and physically ready for their surgery.”
Everybody Health and Leisure are here to help patients make long term behaviour changes and improve their overall health and wellbeing by experiencing the benefits of performing these exercises on a regular basis.
Gavin continues, “Once a patient has recovered from their surgery and the classes have really helped with that process, there will be the opportunity for the patient to come back to our programmes, even into the same sessions, so they can continue with the exercises they did pre surgery.
They will be offered to go into these circuit classes but also there will be an element where they can come into our general service, maybe look at the gym aspect of things, where patients can then access a personalised gym programme to further continue their rehabilitation.
They will see me on a one-to-one basis where I can give them individual support and show them what exercises they can perform over a 12-week programme.”
Between April and September 2023, Everybody Health and Leisure received twenty-seven cancer referrals to their Cancer Exercise Rehabilitation Programme. With sixty four percent going from inactive to active. Eighty two percent improved their mental wellbeing score and ninety one percent improved their physical, social, emotional and functional wellbeing score.
To find out more about this partnership and Cancer Prehabilitation programme, you can watch the full interview with Gavin and Lucy on Everybody Health and Leisure’s website: www.everybody.org.uk and YouTube channel: Everybody Health & Leisure.
If you would like to work in partnership with Everybody Health and Leisure, please get in touch with the Everybody Healthy team on: 01270 685589 or email: [email protected]
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