- National
This document details the urgent requirement for Sport and Exercise Medicine (SEM) to be more heavily integrated into the NHS in order to tackle the physical inactivity epidemic. By further prioritising SEM, the risk of chronic diseases would reduce, patient outcomes and satisfaction would improve, consequently leading to reduced direct and indirect costs of physical inactivity which currently stand at £8.2 million per year in England.
The importance of SEM is proven in order to prevent disease, treat disease, improve workplace wellness reducing absenteeism, and its influence in maintaining musculoskeletal health. The document also details how SEM is necessary in order to create cultural change via influencing undergraduate and postgraduate curriculums and educating primary and secondary care teams and health professionals. In the second half of the document, the role of an SEM specialist is discussed as to how they can help with the topics listed above. This section is useful to justify the necessity of SEM professionals in order to add value, quality and specialised patient pathways.
Overall the need to implement SEM will vary at a local level but this document proves that it's integration in the NHS is critical to create behaviour change on a larger scale within the country. Extensive appendices provide useful summaries on a wide range of documents regarding physical activity for health.
