PEOPLE in Okehampton can now benefit from 'exercise on prescription', thanks to a fresh partnership arrangement between Parklands Leisure Centre and Okehampton Medical Centre. The new GP referral scheme which is being introduced this month enables doctors to prescribe exercise for patients with serious health problems as an alternative to medication. Alison Shelton, Okehampton practice manager, said: 'It is a ten week course, two sessions a week, which will include sessions in the gym, the fitness studio and the swimming pool.' Mrs Shelton said initially the scheme would be open to patients who were clinically obese, newly diagnosed or existing diabetics, post-coronary or suffering from anxiety or depression. Mrs Shelton stressed the course would be run in groups but the programme would be 'tailored to each individual's specific health needs'. Sessions will run during the morning, afternoon and evening to ensure that patients who work can benefit. The scheme is likely to run during the week but not at weekends. There will be a maximum of 12 people in a group, to ensure people's progress can be closely monitored. Although those referred by the scheme will be in groups of a dozen, they may not all be in the gym at the same time, depending on what type of exercise is considered to be most beneficial for the patient, decided in conjunction with the doctor and the personal trainer at the centre. Mrs Shelton said patients referred to the scheme were also entitled to a two week holiday allowance, so they could fit the course in around existing commitments. Thanks to the support of Parklands, the sessions are available at a hugely reduced rate of £60 for the 20 sessions. Mrs Shelton said the medical centre would probably be able to offer people the option of paying for the treatment in instalments. Mrs Shelton said there was scope for the scheme to expand. 'The scheme's focus is targetted at the high risk areas we have to look at as a practice, but depending on the success of the scheme and the capacity at Parklands, there is no reason why the scheme could not be rolled out to help people with other conditions,' she said. Mrs Shelton stressed that everyone who enrolled in the scheme had to have been referred onto it by their GP. She explained how the process would work: 'People will see their GP, if the doctor feels this could be a useful treatment regime, he will give them a referral form and it is then up to the patient to go away and organise joining the course.' Mrs Shelton said she was 'absolutely thrilled' after several months of hard work to get the scheme up and running in the Okehampton area. 'I have been working on this for a long time and I am grateful to West Devon Borough Council and Devon County Council for their help in getting the scheme up and running,' she said. Cllr Nick Morgan from West Devon Borough Council, whose sporting background includes having been an international shot putter in the late 1950s and early 1960s, said: 'The council has been instrumental in influencing Leisure Connection to introduce the exercise referral scheme. 'We recognise the importance of a healthier and fitter community and we are delighted that this scheme is helping us to achieve this aim.'
