Personal trainers in GP surgeries and job centres will tackle inactivity, say experts
The Guardian | Nicola Slawson | 5 November 2015
A coalition of health experts is calling for a personal trainer to be put in every doctor’s surgery and job centre to help tackle the UK’s physical inactivity problem.
The call comes as part of the first joined-up strategy for tackling lack of exercise across society, estimated to cause 37,000 deaths annually and cost the economy £20bn per year.
The plan, Blueprint for an active Britain, will be launched on Thursday by ukactive, a leading not-for-profit organisation. It urges the government to take action across the NHS, social services, transport, workplaces and the built environment.
Ukactive says the cost of implementing the plan will be offset by how much will be saved in the future. Tanni Grey-Thompson, Paralympic champion and the organisation’s chair, said: “The NHS and other public services are under a lot of pressure right now, so we’re not calling for ‘new money’ to fund trainers. But given the enormous cost inactivity places on health and care services, we do think there’s a strong argument for more preventative action.”
