Dr Peter Schutte, the Head of Advisory of the Medical Defence Union has recently written to all GPs outlining strict guidelines for referring patients for exercise.
Schutte said: “The MDU advises doctors that it goes against General Medical Council (GMC) guidance to refer patients to a professional not registered with a statutory body.
“One notable exception are exercise professionals registered with the Register of Exercise Professionals (REPs) as this organisation is a Department of Health recognised body and the GMC has indicated it would have no concerns about a doctor referring a patient to someone on that Register.
Schutte concluded: “The Department of Health has produced a National Quality Assurance Framework on exercise referral programmes. It advises health professionals on what to consider when referring patients to exercise programmes. It recommends that patients are referred to fitness instructors who are members of the Register of Exercise Professionals that are qualified as advanced, Level 3, instructors.”
REPs Registrar Cliff Collins said: “This is very important recognition of the REPs and the guidance note helps to raise the profile of the Register and the use of the National Quality Assurance Framework. We operate a free database search facility for health professionals trying to locate exercise professionals with the right skills to work with referred clients.
“The MDU guidance also begins to show some clarity on what GPs should do when asked to comment on whether their patients are able to take exercise. In the past, many doctors have been reluctant to give advice, and this ties in with the development of an industry standard PAR-Q.”
