GPs to prescribe cycling to help improve mental & physical health
Posted on in Cycles News , Outdoor News
The Department for Transport has announced a £12.7m trial to begin later this year, in which GPs in England will be able to prescribe walking or cycling as a way of improving mental and physical health and easing the burden on the NHS.
Initially 11 places will receive funding for doctors are to start "social prescription" pilots. The plan aims to reduce GP appointments and people's reliance on medication. The pilots run until 2025 in Bradford, Leeds, Doncaster, Cumbria, Gateshead, Nottingham, Staffordshire, Suffolk, Plymouth, Cornwall, Bath and NE Somerset.
The new Gear Change Plan pilots would be "hugely beneficial" to overall mental and physical health, said the DfT. The pilots will include adult cycle training for all abilities, plus more walking groups for exercise and mental health. Free bike loans will be offered.
Walking and cycling minister Trudy Harrison said more cycling and walking would "ease the burden on our NHS" as well as "improving air quality and reducing congestion".
The government said the authorities must also improve infrastructure, so people felt safe walking and cycling.
"We need healthier, cheaper and more pleasant ways to get around for everyday trips," he said cyclist Chris Boardman, commissioner of National Active Travel, a government agency set up to improve the UK's cycling and walking infrastructure.
"Moving more will lead to a healthier nation, a reduced burden on the NHS, less cancer, heart disease and diabetes, and huge cost savings."
However, while GPs agree the pilot funding is "great news", with obesity a risk factor for Type-2 diabetes, cancers, liver and respiratory disease, some say overstretched surgeries cannot take on even more work created by the pilots.
"Should GPs refer people to these schemes, or should they look after sick people?" asked Doncaster GP Dr Dean Eggitt. "We don't have capacity for both."