Free bikes to be prescribed to NHS patients amid obesity crisis

Free bikes are to be prescribed to NHS patients for the first time in a bid to improve the health of obese patients.

The initiative launches this week and will mean GPs in Cardiff, Wales will be able to assign six months of bike hire subscriptions on prescription for patients.

The news follows a new report, published by the NHS, which reveals there has been a 15 per cent increase in the number of UK hospital admissions where obesity is the main or secondary reason.

Of the total number of admissions recorded in 2017/18, 10,660 had a primary diagnosis of obesity and 74 per cent of these were women.

The scheme, which is believed to be the first of its kind, will be trialled at Lansdowne Surgery and Fairwater Health Centre in Cardiff and extended across the rest of Cardiff if the pilot proves to be a success.

As part of the pilot, which has been launched in partnership with bike hire firm Nextbike and the Cardiff and Vale health board, will involve a select number of patients being granted an access code which allows them an unlimited free 30-minute cycle session.

Speaking about the scheme, Dr Tom Porter, a consultant with Cardiff and Vale University Health Board and Public Health Wales, said regular cycling could cut the risk of dying from heart disease in half.

Porter said: "Not only can cycling to work reduce your risk of death from heart disease by 52 per cent, but it's also a great way to get around the city without using your car, making it good for both you and the environment around you, and helping to keep the air clean for everyone while reducing carbon emissions.”

He added that it is recommended that adults are active “for at least 150 minutes every week, many people feel that 150 minutes is simply too difficult to fit into their busy schedules”.

"For the first phase of the pilot we want to make sure the scheme works as intended, and is easy to use for patients and their health professionals, so we'll be seeking feedback from participants. If the approach proves successful we'll look at making it more widely available across the city,” he explained.

Dr Karen Pardy, a GP who will be able to prescribe nextbike to their patients, said pf the scheme: "Whilst we are aware of the many benefits of exercise for our patients, people are sometimes reluctant to engage.

"Nextbike on prescription allows people to have a go at cycling around Cardiff and realise how this can help to support their overall wellbeing."

Cardiff councillor and cabinet member for social care, health and wellbeing, Susan Elsmore, said “the city of Cardiff is incredibly fortunate and proud to offer this opportunity to its residents”.

Nextbike launched in May 2018 and has 500 bikes at 27 sites across the UK in locations such as Warwick, Stirling, and the West Midlands.

The company says that around 10,000 journeys are made each week using their service.

Earlier this month, Leeds became the first city in the UK to report a reduction in childhood obesity after introducing mass parenting lessons on how to be stricter.

The city-wide initiative, which saw parents follow an eight-week programme on how to “take charge” and set boundaries for their children, has been linked to a significant drop in obesity levels.

In light of the scheme, a new study by Oxford University revealed that while obesity rates among five-year-olds in England remained unchanged between 2013-4 and 2016-7, at around 9.4 per cent, rates in Leeds dropped to 8.8 per cent over the same period.