BHF Exercise Referral Toolkit.

**Update Feb 2019: note change of link address**

The aim of this toolkit is to provide an easy-to-read, practical guide for all those professionals involved in the delivery, coordination, commissioning and evaluation of exercise referral schemes. These professionals include general practitioners, practice nurses, community nurses, allied health professionals (physiotherapists, dieticians etc), exercise professionals, health promotion/ public health specialists, commissioners and researchers.

The toolkit has been developed in consultation and collaboration with a range of professionals involved with exercise referral schemes and key national stakeholders.

It draws upon current Government policy for the design and delivery of quality assured exercise referral schemes; it is NOT a replacement for such national policy. Furthermore it should NOT be used in isolation from the National Quality Assurance Framework for exercise referral schemes (NQAF).

It is a tool to aid the design, delivery and evaluation of exercise referral schemes, but is NOT POLICY. It uses the evidence base and local scheme practice to support schemes in meeting the guidelines set out within the National Quality Assurance Framework and to raise standards within schemes.

Using The Toolkit:

The toolkit recognise that capacity, resources and funding vary across schemes and that some schemes are struggling to implement elements of the National Quality Assurance Framework and consequently may struggle to adopt some of the recommendations set out within the toolkit.

The toolkit is not designed as a ‘blueprint’ for how exercise referral schemes must be designed, implemented and evaluated; it offers some best practice principles for all those involved in the delivery, management and commissioning of exercise referral schemes. It is for individual schemes to consider whether the implementation of these principles will improve the design, delivery and effectiveness of their scheme, given the capacity and resources available.

Many schemes may already be meeting the recommendations outlined within the toolkit, in which case the toolkit can be used as a resource for professionals to take a fresh look at their scheme or as a guide for on-going reflection.

Contents of Toolkit:

• Section 1: Background technical report: outlining the rationale for the toolkit and the developmental process.
• Section 2: A snapshot of exercise referral schemes operating in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland during 2006-2008.
• Section 3: A synopsis of exercise referral research.
• Section 4: A quick reference guide to exercise referral schemes for referring healthcare professionals.
• Section 5: Guidance for exercise professionals working with referred patients.
• Section 6: Guidance for exercise referral scheme coordinators.
• Section 7: A guide to commissioning exercise referral schemes.
• Section 8: A guide to evaluating exercise referral schemes.
• Section 9: A qualifications and training guide.
• The final section of the toolkit, the appendices, includes sample forms, templates letters, tools and questionnaires.

from Physical Activity and Health Alliance Latest additions http://www.paha.org.uk/Resource/bhf-exercise-referral-toolkit
via IFTTT

source https://astroturfsurfacing.tumblr.com/post/182910192261