Doctors to prescribe bikes to overweight patients through NHS scheme

Joe Gamp
·Contributor, Yahoo News UK
Updated
Businessman riding bicycle along concrete wall
The NHS are encouraging people to get fit and active after a survey showed the UK is one of the unhealthiest nations in Europe (GETTY)

GPs will now be able to enrol overweight patients into bicycle membership schemes under a new NHS drive to tackle heart disease.

The scheme is part of the health service’s aim to get more people fit and active through exercise, reducing the risk of heart disease.

The scheme is being tested by GP practices in Cardiff using the city's Nextbike bicycle-share scheme as part of a prescription.

Newcastle, UK - February 10, 2016: The NHS (National Health Service) logo on an entrance sign for the Royal Victoria Infirmary, a teaching hospital which includes an accident and emergency department.
The new measures are part of a new NHS drive to get people fit and active (GETTY)

The new initiative enables doctors at Lansdowne Surgery and Fairwater Health Centre to offer patients 30-minute hire sessions for six months at no cost.

A recent study showed cycling regularly can cut the chances of developing heart disease by as much as 46 percent, while it can reduce cancer risks by 45 percent.

It was also found that even a small amount of cycling can cut the risk of both heart disease and cancer by 36 percent and 32 percent, respectively.

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The study also showed the UK was behind other European nations in terms of frequent exercise carried out.

It showed 3 percent of commuters cycle to work and 11 percent walk, one of the lowest rates in Europe.

Dr Tom Porter of Cardiff and Vale University Health Board and Public Health Wales said: ‘It is recommended that adults are active for at least 150 minutes every week, but many people feel that 150 minutes is simply too difficult to fit into their busy schedules.

(NEXTBIKE)
(NEXTBIKE)

‘Not only can cycling to work reduce your risk of death from heart disease by 52 percent, but it's also a great way to get around the city without using your car, making it good for both you and the environment around you, and helping to keep the air clean for everyone while reducing carbon emissions.’

Dr Karen Pardy, one of the GPs taking part in the Cardiff trials, said: ‘Nextbike on prescription provides GPs and their teams with a valuable opportunity to help encourage patients to become more active.

3D illustration of Heart - Part of Human Organic.
The scheme is part of an NHS drive to tackle heart disease (GETTY)

‘While we are aware of the many benefits of exercise for our patients, people are sometimes reluctant to engage.

‘Nextbike on prescription allows people to have a go at cycling around Cardiff and realise how this can help to support their overall well-being.’

It has not yet been confirmed if and when the scheme will be rolled out nationwide.