The Staywell Scheme
Cardiac Rehab is now using its expertise in cardiac rehabilitation to offer a similar service – the Staywell Scheme - to local people who have not yet developed heart disease, but who are rated by their GP as being at high risk of doing so. These “high risk” patients will typically be attending GPs’ clinics for high blood pressure, diabetes or obesity. The aim is to introduce these patients to a combination of health education and exercise to improve their health and wellbeing, and ultimately lengthen their lives.
GPs (and other health professionals) are invited to refer patients (aged 18 or older) at high risk of developing cardiovascular disease to Cardiac Rehab. Please contact us by phone or email if you wish to do so, or if you need further information.
Members of the public who are interested in the scheme should consult their GP as to its suitability for them. You are also invited to drop by to take a look at the Centre, before approaching your GP.
General leaflet Leaflet for GPs
For patients living in East Hampshire District, the Staywell Scheme forms part of the East Hampshire Exercise Referral Scheme for GPs.
The Benefits
Increasing the amount of physical activity you do can make enormous improvements to health, wellbeing and lifestyle. A physically active lifestyle has been proved to:
Decrease body fat and body weight
Increase bone density
Help lower blood pressure
Help improve cholesterol levels
Help stabilise blood sugar levels
Improve mood
Reduce stress and anxiety
Increase energy levels
Improve mobility
Lengthen life
The Programme
The programme consists of:
- An initial patient assessment, including the traditional risk factors – personal characteristics including age, gender, smoking habit, weight, waist circumference, blood pressure, blood cholesterol and fasting blood glucose. In diabetics, HbA1C.
- An exercise test (to establish fitness level) plus a gym induction at which the individual exercise programme is set.
- A 10 week course of supervised exercise, two one-hour sessions per week at times to be agreed with the patient.
- Health education sessions on diet, exercise and stress management.
- Introductions to “stop smoking” and weight loss groups, where appropriate.
- A final patient assessment and exercise test, with a repeat of all the initial measurements.
The patient’s spouse/partner may also undertake the programme, to act as support, but will not undergo the initial and final assessments.
At the end of the formal programme the patient (and spouse/partner) may, if they wish, continue to exercise at Cardiac Rehab on an open-ended basis.
From 1st April 2010 for one year, due to Strategic Health Authority funding, there are no fees for the patient to attend their induction and two gym visits per week for ten weeks but the fees below apply to your spouse or partner if they are going to attend with you.
Pricing
There is a choice of two payment options for the spouse/partner.
Option 1 – Pay-As-You-Go
The patient pays at each attendance. From 1st April 2010 the prices per person are:
- £12.50 for the initial induction
- £4.25 for each exercise and health education session attended.
or
Option 2 – Lump Sum Payment
The patient pays a lump sum of £85 to Cardiac Rehab up front to cover the whole programme. This works out as a 20% discount to paying for each session individually.
