Barnsley Premier Leisure reports exercise referral successes

For Barnsley Premier Leisure working with data has transformed the way the Trust’s exercise referrals are managed and the popularity of its schemes

 

Barnsley Premier Leisure (BPL) runs two successful health referral schemes within its Barnsley contract and is soon to launch a third. Its focus is improving community health at the local level.

 

The exercise referral programme, BPL Health Referral, is aimed at improving the health of people with medical conditions such as asthma, diabetes, high cholesterol and blood pressure. The Weight Management Programme – commissioned though Barnsley Council’s Public Health department – is for people with a raised BMI. A Cancer Prehab and Rehabilitation Programme, aimed at people with or recovering from cancer, is in the early stages, with a funding bid in place.

 

BPL began using ReferAll’s data management platform in 2021 to help manage referrals, drive new people to its healthy lifestyles programmes and boost uptake rates. It has now released new figures, which demonstrate the real-time difference its schemes are making in the local community.

 

Headline figures from BPL’s exercise referral schemes

 

BPL has processed more than 6,400 referrals since it began using ReferAll’s software in July 2021.

• The average increase in Wellbeing Score was 9.6 points (18.4%)
• The average reduction in Systolic Blood Pressure for scheme participants is 14.3% – 92.3% of participants identified as being hypertensive recorded a reduction
• The average reduction in Diastolic Blood Pressure was 10.8% – 85.9% of participants identified as being hypertensive recorded a reduction
• 82.5% of female participants with a waist circumference of >81cm recorded a smaller waist circumference – an average of 6.2%
• 88.1% of male participants with a waist circumference of >94cm recorded a reduction – an average of 5.5%

 

 

ReferAll’s dashboard offers BPL a real-time overview of all its projects and their status, including details such as referrals received, uptake and completion rates.

 

The Reporting Solution enables Healthy Lifestyle Programme Manager, Mark Goodhead, to analyse service performance and patient outcomes.

 

“We didn’t have any kind of reliable software to track, record and monitor our referrals; I was just using an old spreadsheet-based system,” he explains. “Everything from processing referrals to data management was done manually, so the margin for error was huge. As the number of referrals we received increased post pandemic, we needed something more robust.

 

“ReferAll’s software sped up our processes no end, especially its online webform, which enables people to self-refer online. Once a potential participant has filled in the form, it goes straight into the system – no one has to input data, so there’s no room for human error and no concerns about GDPR security. Removing barriers to participation has hugely improved both uptake and adherence. It has also revolutionised the accuracy of our referral pathway.”

 

Ultimately, this means BPL can clearly demonstrate to commissioners and stakeholders the positive impact it’s having on participants’ health.

 

Goodhead collated data from existing schemes to inform and support his bid for funding for the Cancer Prehab and Rehabilitation Programme. He says:

 

“Without evidence you can’t demonstrate impact or build a case for funding. I can pull together reports according to scheme, postcode or participants’ socio-economic group. We’re more confident and efficient as a service because we have more knowledge at our fingertips.”

 

BPL is using data to demonstrate how it’s engaging with communities and highlight gaps where work still needs to be done as well as evaluate programming and make decisions around what’s working, to improve participant outcomes and ultimately foster a healthier community.