Dr Jack is happy to prescribe a lot more than just medicine!
Surgery links up with parkrun UK to boost fitness
DOCTORS at a Portsmouth surgery will be able to prescribe more than just medicine to its patients thanks to a new scheme.
The Trafalgar Medical Group Practice in Southsea has become a Parkrun Practice and its 24,000 patients will be encourage to take part in the 5k Southsea parkrun on Saturday mornings.
Dr Jack Collins is a GP at the surgery and a keen parkrunner himself.
He said: ‘I am excited that we have become a Parkrun Practice and as I enjoy running myself I know the benefits of getting out and doing regular exercise.
‘It means we can socially prescribe people to take part in the runs weekly and it can mean reducing their need for lifelong medication and improving their general health and therefore also hopefully reducing their need to come into the surgery, so it relieves pressure on services as well.’
The Royal College of General Practitioners has been collaborating with parkrun UK since June 2018 to promote the health and wellbeing of staff and patients.
This Saturday 14 nurses and GPs from the Trafalgar Medical Group Practice are volunteering at the parkun in Southsea to show their support for the scheme.
Dr Collins added: ‘The great thing is people can do it at their own pace and you get a chip so it times you and then you will know if you are improving. It is also a good chance to socialise which is also really important for your mental health.
‘Social prescribing is becoming more important because there is so much presure on the NHS. Wwe need people to get better in different ways and ultimately exercise can be an amazing way to do so.
‘It releases endorphins which we know make you happy and that can have a massive effect on your health and wellbeing. I really hope our patients and anyone else joins in with the park run this weekend.
Parkrun UK supports more than 800 communities around the country to deliver free, weekly, socially-focussed events every weekend in public areas of open space.
Around 1.8m people in the UK have taken part since the first event in 2004, while 250,000 have volunteered.