Funded by the Active Partnership, Active Sussex, the pilot has the potential to reshape the role of exercise within hospital care nationwide. Delivered in partnership with East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust, Active Rother, East Sussex Public Health and 20/20 Health, the Active Sussex Reconditioning Pilot provided 26 weeks of supervised physical activity sessions led by health instructors from 20/20 Health, alongside physiotherapists at the Irvine Rehabilitation Unit at Bexhill Hospital, part of East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust.  

The initiative also supported patients in transitioning to community-based exercise programmes to ensure long-term active lifestyles. Patients benefited from four sessions a week in the hospital in addition to community-based provision in Hastings, Bexhill, Lewes and Eastbourne. Running for six months, the pilot included 54 exercise sessions, giving patients an average of nine extra hours of exercise during their stay.  

Early data analysis shows patients experienced a 50 per cent improvement in balance, a 34 per cent increase in sit-to-stand ability and a 22 per cent reduction in rehabilitation complexity – offering them greater independence and improved recovery.  

Karen Poole, AHP rehabilitation consultant for East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust and strategic clinical lead for Rehabilitation & Reablement at NHS Sussex, said the collaboration between the NHS and a local community health instructor provider has delivered significant positive impacts.   She said: 'The activity groups increased access to physical and social activity for patients recovering at the Irvine Rehabilitation Unit, contributing to their mood, wellbeing and a positive culture across our workforce. This pilot has also tested how we can work with non-NHS partners in traditional NHS environments, paving the way for greater confidence in this approach. The Active Sussex Reconditioning Pilot serves as an exemplar of what we can achieve when we work together.'   

Ross Joannides, strategic relationship manager at Active Sussex, said: 'It has been a fantastic process to be able to formulate and co-design an intervention collaboratively with the NHS and local authority to better meet the priorities of all partners involved and most importantly support greater health outcomes for those recovering from stroke in East Sussex.

'Bringing health instructors into the hospital setting where they can work with NHS staff to address the issue of deconditioning and then transition patients into community-based activity is a significant step forward for the way Active Sussex wants to support the health system at a local level. The project has shown how voluntary and community-based partners can work with statutory organisations to overcome governance challenges to deliver a service that has had a significant impact on patients’ health outcomes.'   

Subject to additional funding, the project team aims to live-stream exercise sessions from the Irvine Unit to other hospitals across East Sussex, potentially expanding further into West Sussex. Such scaling up could create a ripple effect, inspiring other hospital trusts to adopt this successful model.   The project has provided insights into some of the barriers faced by patients after discharge, such as transport and financial constraints.

Jas Gray from 20/20 Health explained: 'Something we learned from doing these sessions in the hospital is that there are different barriers that we did not expect. One of these is getting patients at home into the community classes. This is something that was unexpected, but something we are going to try to reduce by offering exercise classes at multiple places in the community, giving them the opportunity to access physical activity classes nearer to their home.'

For more information about Active Sussex, visit: activesussex.org