Exercise Referral Scheme
Physical activity is an important part of improving health and well being. It helps to prevent coronary heart disease, stroke and some forms of cancer – the main causes of deaths in Scotland. It can also be productive in the prevention and rehabilitation of conditions such as hypertension, diabetes and obesity.
The document Towards a Healthier Scotland (1999) sets out the Government’s ten-year strategy for health which includes a commitment to local action to increase levels of physical activity. The National Physical Activity Strategy for Scotland was launched in 2002 with a vision that "People in Scotland will enjoy the benefits of having a physically active life"
In 2002 the Scottish Executive distributed a National CHD and Stroke Strategy mapping out a framework for primary prevention including recommendations on physical activity. Exercise on referral is a category B recommendation within this strategy.
Improving Health in Scotland – The Challenge (2003) stresses the need for a partnership approach with other agencies at all levels, focusing on inequalities in health and access to services that impact on health.
Physical activity promotion, through such initiatives as Exercise Referral Schemes, is recognised as a means of achieving some of the national targets.
The Exercise Referral Scheme therefore represents a way of: ‘Reducing risk and staying healthy’
