GP Referral to Gym: Everything You Need to Know

For more information on our content creation process, view our Editorial Policy.

The GP Exercise Referral Scheme is an NHS initiative designed to bridge the worlds of healthcare and fitness – it enables patients suffering from various medical conditions to improve both their physical and mental well-being through tailored gym programmes.

It offers patients a good way to manage and improve their health, and it offers fitness professionals a way to expand their expertise and potential client base.

What Is the GP Exercise Referral Scheme?

The GP Exercise Referral Scheme is a healthcare initiative put into place to help get patients into health and fitness – it is designed to connect those suffering from specific medical conditions, like diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease, and mental health disorders such as anxiety and depression, to personalised fitness programs.

A GP or other healthcare professional will refer a patient, who will then be given structured exercise plans that address their unique health needs, both physical and mental. It highlights physical activity’s role in preventative healthcare, promoting long-term lifestyle changes and over-reliance on medication.

As the Chief Medical Officer said in 2019: ‘If physical activity were a drug, we would refer to it as a miracle cure, due to the great many illnesses it can prevent and help treat.’ 

Eligibility

Eligibility for the GP Exercise Referral Scheme is based on a set of specific criteria. Patients will typically qualify for the scheme if they have a medical condition that we know will benefit from increased physical activity and fitness.

Conditions like these can include the likes of:

• Cardiovascular disease or hypertension
• Obesity or diabetes
• Osteoarthritis or joint problems
• Stress, anxiety, or depression

Patients will need a formal referral from the GP or healthcare provider. This will help the fitness professional they are referred to to tailor it fully to their needs. This fitness professional will then work closely with the patient to build and execute a safe, effective exercise plan to relieve symptoms and improve overall health.

The Benefits

There are many benefits to the scheme. Arguably, there are as many benefits or more as physical fitness itself offers (which are overwhelming – again, see the Chief Medical Officer’s comments from 2019!)

Physical health should always improve in line with fitness. Patients will be able to manage conditions like high blood pressure, diabetes, and obesity far more ably whilst seeing improvements to cardiac health and plenty more besides.

Then there are the mental health benefits involved with fitness. Regular exercise is a proven tool for improving symptoms of anxiety, stress, and depression, helping to foster an overall improved sense of well-being.

The GP Exercise Referral Scheme represents a genuinely holistic approach to healthcare – it does more than simply treat symptoms, actively encouraging lifestyle changes and promoting better health in the long run. Many users find motivation and encouragement in working with fitness professionals and others with similar health goals, and many genuinely find their health and their lives transformed by the scheme.

Becoming a Certified Exercise Referral Specialist

Fitness professionals interested in getting involved with the scheme – and opening up a whole new client base in the process – will need to enhance their existing qualifications with a Level 3 Diploma in GP Exercise Referral. It’s an advanced certification that will equip trainers with the skills and knowledge they need to work safely and effectively with clients referred to by their healthcare providers.

A Level 3 Diploma in GP Exercise Referral will typically cost around £600 or thereabouts and will cover safe exercise programming for the kinds of medical conditions the scheme excels in treating whilst helping trainers to better understand common reasons for referrals. 

Trainers who gain a Level 3 Diploma in GP Exercise Referral will have everything they need to work with healthcare providers, including being able to register their services with the NHS and will be able to design bespoke exercise programs for patients in need.