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Getting back on your feet – Relaunched Active Referral scheme opened up to more islanders

Jersey Sport has relaunched the long-running Exercise Referral scheme, opening it up to more of the island’s population and making it easier for health professionals to refer patients who would benefit from guided help with rehabilitation.

The 12-week programme, now also rebranded as Active Referral, is for people aged 16 or over with certain medical conditions or pre/post-surgery, and is run by specially-trained fitness instructors.

In addition, the new-look programme allows GPs and health practitioners to now refer islanders who are “at risk” of medical conditions.

Other key features

• A new online portal gives instructors greater access to data about clients, helping them to review progress and better shape the rehabilitation pathway for the individual.
• Islanders who can provide evidence from Social Security that they are in receipt of income support will be eligible for free access to their sessions.
• Doctors and health professionals can refer their patients to the scheme via a new online portal on the Jersey Sport website, reducing paperwork and speeding up the enrolment process.
• People on the programme will be able to view their progress via the online portal at the end of the course.
• As well as the existing Les Quennevais, Fort Regent and Springfield venues, exercise sessions will also now be held at Oakfield.

“We wanted to make it easier to get people on the programme, and going online reduces the levels of paperwork and admin for us,” said Paola Mitchell, Jersey Sport’s Active Referral and Community Health Officer.

“Not only will it eventually give our clients access to their statistics, but it means we can manage the whole process from one system, creating our own bespoke questionnaires and tailor reports accordingly too. We’ll be able to better see what’s working and what’s not.

“The programme is divided into two tiers. Tier One is for those who are post-operative, are currently suffering from a medical condition or have complex needs, while Tier Two is tailored for those who are more sedentary and ‘at risk’ of medical conditions. This is more of a preventative tier and by enabling people to get active we can reduce some of those risks.”

Initial assessments are carried out at Fort Regent. This allows assessors to collect data on the client’s current medical condition and medication to gauge what level of activity will be most beneficial for them, with the sessions then held at leisure centres around the island.

“The new name – Active Referral – better describes what this is all about,” said Jersey Sport CEO Catriona McAllister.

“It’s not just a case of helping people exercise, but it’s about encouraging them to be active during their 12 weeks on the scheme and then staying active into the future, hopefully for the rest of their lives.

“The new online system will give us, doctors and the person on the programme a clearer view of the progress being made and we’re confident it’ll show what a difference we can make in supporting islanders through their rehabilitation.”

People can only get on the 24-session scheme if referred by their doctor or healthcare professional.

The online portal is available on jerseysport.je/referral