Local government holds the key to cancer rehab success

Local government holds the key to cancer rehab success

30/07/15

Katherine Selby of Action PR highlights how local community leisure centres play a key role in rehabilitation for cancer…

A growing body of evidence 1 shows that physical activity is key in helping people with cancer cope with their treatment and boost their recovery. While this is excellent and positive news, the reality is that local authorities are now tasked to deliver exercise programmes to fulfil the potential recovery of those in their community with cancer. GPs, hospitals and charities all know that physical activity can help but few have the time or the skills to take responsibility for talking to people about this. Packing people off to the local gym isn’t the answer, as individuals’ needs must be addressed to take into consideration their personal circumstances, fitness levels and response to their treatment.

“We can’t ignore the evidence that shows exercise is beneficial and safe for cancer patients,” says Martin Ledwick, Head Information Nurse at Cancer Research UK. “Some studies show that exercise helps make patients feel better after their diagnosis, allowing them to cope more easily with the tiredness often related to treatment, and may even speed up recovery. In most instances, it is perfectly safe for cancer patients to exercise but they should discuss it with their doctor to get advice on the best kind of activity to suit their lifestyle and ability.”

Perfect Partnership

This bespoke care and professional insight into exercising with cancer has been achieved by partnering cancer care specialists’ medical knowledge of the disease, with the expertise of exercise instructors who know how to develop programmes to meet certain protocols and desired outcomes.

Macmillan Cancer Support’s ambition is to ensure everyone living with and beyond cancer is aware of the benefits of physical activity and they are able to become and to stay active at a level that’s right for them. Macmillan’s evidence-based intervention model can be embedded into cancer care to provide a person-centred service with tailored support. This is for all people, from diagnosis, through treatment, after treatment and end of life.

This behaviour change service offers a minimum of 12 months’ support by a trained cancer rehabilitation professional and provides access to a wide variety of physical activity opportunities in the community. This could include them getting back into sport programmes like no strings badminton, gardening, joining a walking group or doing more traditional gym based supervised programmes.

Locally the programmes are governed by a partnership of key decision makers including primary and secondary care, local decision makers including commissioners, public health and leisure services and service providers, supported by Macmillan. The service is robustly monitored nationally, proving its effectiveness against key outcomes.

Making local government feel better too

Leisure centre programmes working in harmony with GPs, hospitals and medical staff can ease the burden on local councils and health services. Accessibility is another major benefit for people, with local leisure centres housed in the heart of communities and open all day. Furthermore, once people are feeling better, the transition to try other forms of exercise at the centre is straightforward and they will feel comfortable exercising independently in the familiar environment.

“We have found that apart from the physical benefits of exercising, the psychological benefit of following an activity programme in a group or leisure centre, away from hospitals and medical staff, is huge,” explains Mark Collins, ESHT Macmillan Lead Cancer Nurse at East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust which refers people to Hailsham Leisure Centre. “Exercising at a local leisure centre gives people a sense of normality that is welcome relief after the trauma of their illness and treatment.”

Success story

Local authority-run gyms, such as those managed by not-for-profit operator Freedom Leisure, are perfectly placed to run cancer rehab programmes. Its Hailsham Leisure Centre, operated on behalf of Wealden District Council, was the first site to implement the Cancer Rehab Exercise Course in the summer of 2013. The course was initially a pilot programme but its value was immediately clear. It now runs regularly with up to 15 people in each group. Freedom Leisure GP Referral Coordinator, Stephanie Wadlow, was trained by Macmillan and used this to devise a 10-week course comprising an exercise circuit followed by talk time in the centre’s café.

“Many people with cancer are quite weak and anxious initially so we train them very carefully to rebuild their muscular strength, endurance and confidence,” says Stephanie. “We understand it can be hard physically and emotionally to get back to exercise after cancer so our plan is broken down into manageable steps. Many people go on to exercise independently, having found the strength and confidence to do so.”]

“Although Freedom Leisure runs this as a group, Stephanie works with each patient at their own level so they feel comfortable with exercise”, says Frances Jones, ESHT Macmillan Breast Care Clinical Nurse Specialist, Eastbourne District General Hospital. “I’ve seen first-hand some fantastic outcomes. Just last month I had a post-cancer patient who was really struggling: she felt incredibly tearful, was unable to face each day and taking antidepressants. After joining Stephanie’s sessions she felt more positive and happy and soon cast aside her antidepressants.”

It has taken a number of years to get to this stage but now local authorities can see the evidence and data that physical activity helps, they’re only too pleased for GPs and nurses to refer people to their local leisure centre. In fact, they are probably quite relieved to find such a rich resource to deliver this after-care for patients in their community.