At this challenging time in our sector’s history, I want to highlight the valuable contribution that many of Nuffield Health’s fitness and wellbeing professionals are making to support the recovery of the nation from COVID-19.
Twenty eight of our fitness and wellbeing professions have been seconded to work with the Buckingham Healthcare NHS Trust to help the COVID-19 efforts, within family liaison, clerical, operational and administrative positions including COVID-19 swabbing.
The 28 are from Nuffield Health’s Fitness & Wellbeing Centres in Aylesbury, St Albans, Hemel Hempstead, Oxfordshire, Wokingham and Ealing and they’re working at the NHS Trust’s Stoke Mandeville, Amersham and Wycombe hospitals.
Their work is highly valued, as Tunde Adewopo, divisional director of specialist services at Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust explains: “Partnering with Nuffield Health locally to be able to bring some of their employees to work with us at the trust couldn’t be more timely.
This is supporting our medical and nursing colleagues, helping to free up their time and enabling them to focus even more on caring for our patients.”
This is part of a programme across Nuffield Health in support of NHS trusts and builds on the COVID-19 Recovery Programme that is now running at 17 of our fitness and wellbeing centres across the UK, ahead of a larger rollout to over 40 sites by May 2021.
The programme blends physical therapy and mental health support and is run in partnership with local NHS trusts.
Former NHS patients will work with a rehabilitation specialist for personalised advice and on a recovery plan, consisting of a six-week virtual programme of at-home exercises, before moving to one of our fitness and wellbeing centres.
We’ll share the outcomes with the NHS and other healthcare providers.
With gyms reopening, we can see the light at the end of the tunnel. I hope the sector’s safety record, value and importance is recognised, so we can work to build a healthier nation.
The programme blends together physical therapy and mental health support and is run in partnership with local NHS trusts