Somerset Activity and Sports Partnership (SASP) has successfully been awarded the contract to become the new lead provider to co-ordinate and manage the Physical Activity on Referral Scheme for Somerset over the next three years.

The new scheme, named ProActive, will replace the former Exercise on Referral Scheme overseen by Public Health at Somerset County Council. Through ProActive, SASP will develop a service enabling a range of health professionals to refer individuals living with health conditions to supported exercise programmes.

ProActive will introduce individuals to the benefits of exercise with the support and guidance from Level 3 Exercise Referral Fitness Instructors, based in leisure and community facilities across the county. Their expertise will ensure ProActive participants receive appropriate exercise prescription and advice throughout a 12 week journey with them.

The service will include health screening, advice and access to a range of different types of activity. ProActive participants will be informed about these in their initial appointment and advised on the most suitable activity for them.

ProActive will be launching in June 2022, please check back again soon for further updates.

SASP is currently working through putting in place the clinical guidance, reviewing the criteria and developing the process of the new ProActive scheme. SASP will make contact with existing accredited providers in due course, however should you have any queries, you can now get in contact via our dedicated ProActive email address: proactive@sasp.co.uk

New providers will be able to join ProActive once SASP has established the new process and existing providers are operating to the new structure. If you would like to express an interest in applying for accreditation status, please use the ProActive email address above to do so.

If you are a Healthcare or Allied Health Professional wishing to refer a patient to an exercise programme to support the management of one or more long term health conditions, SASP encourages you to continue doing so through the current referral process. This includes completing the Referral form on the EMIS computer system, or referring the patient to their GP should you not have access to this.

Once ProActive is launched in June, a new set of criteria along with a new referral form will be available to all eligible referring healthcare and allied health professionals in Somerset. From here, SASP will work to ensure you are kept updated with further developments relating to the new scheme so that together we can support people with their health and wellbeing in the safest and most appropriate ways.

Should you have any queries relating to the current or new ProActive scheme, please get in touch via our dedicated email address where we will be happy to help: proactive@sasp.co.uk