Active Living is Abbeycroft Leisure’s exercise referral programme designed to help people move more, improve health, and stay active as part of a supportive community. Delivered in partnership with West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust and Allied Health Professionals, the programme offers a structured pathway lasting 12 or 24 weeks, depending on the referral route, with follow-on options available for everyone. Eligible participants may access these programmes free of charge where funding allows. The service covers a wide range of health conditions, including anxiety, arthritis, asthma, depression, diabetes, high blood pressure, osteoporosis, and being overweight or obese. Access can be via self-referral (after consultation with a GP/clinician/health professional and referral through an online form) or through health professionals who refer patients via the online referral process. Health professionals such as community therapists, orthopaedic physiotherapists, pulmonary physiotherapists and neurology physiotherapists can initiate referrals, subject to meeting safety criteria. The programme outlines clear referral contraindications (for example, if a person is already active, under 16, has unhealed wounds, has unstable/high blood pressure or acute psychiatric illness, and other specified conditions) and steps for seeking medical advice before starting. The Active Living timetable describes a wide spread of sessions across multiple centres, including supervised gym sessions, NHS Keep Moving, Falls, Strength & Balance, NHS Move Better, Otago Strength & Balance, Pulmonary Breathe Better, MSK Hubs Good Boost, and related Keep Active community sessions such as Keep Active Leisure Club and Keep Active Water Workout. Methods for getting started emphasise self-referral via GP or clinician, or referral by a health professional through an online form, with an emphasis on safety, progression, and personalised support. The programme aims to improve confidence, mobility and overall wellbeing through a mix of gentle activity, supervised exercise and social engagement, with a focus on delivering long-term healthy lifestyle changes for people with long-term health conditions.
Categories:
Exercise and fitness classes
Sports clubs and groups
Getting active
Managing a long-term health condition
Service access criteria:
Access via self-referral after GP/clinician referral or online referral by a health professional. Health professionals can submit referrals using the online form. Safe referral guidelines apply, with contraindications including being already active, under 16, unhealed wounds, high/unstable blood pressure, uncontrolled cardiac/psychiatric conditions, recent acute events, and other listed conditions. Housebound patients are excluded. Professionals must confirm patient suitability and assume medical responsibility. A box must be ticked to confirm referral is not a self-referral when submitting the form.
managing a long-term health condition, exercise and fitness classes, sports clubs and groups, abbeycroft leisure, regional
Who can refer:
Professional referrals only