The Active 4 Health Lifestyle Hub receives exercise referrals from various health professionals. It helps connect residents in the Dorset Council area to an activity pathway to suit their location, interests, and health needs.
Patients qualify for an exercise referral if they have one or more of the following health conditions:
- Arthritis
- Asthma or COPD
- Back Pain
- Cancer (pre, during or post treatment)
- Chronic fatigue and ME
- Coronary artery disease or peripheral vascular disease
- Dementia/Alzheimer’s
- Fibromyalgia and polymyalgia
- General mobility issues/physical disability
- High blood pressure
- High cholesterol
- Long Covid
- Mental ill health i.e. stress, anxiety and depression
- Multiple Sclerosis
- Osteoporosis
- Overweight/ obesity with a BMI between 30 to 39.95. If BMI is 40 or above, the patient can still be referred. They will need a level 4 referral instructor. This option is available but not at all sites, so the patient may have to travel further for a suitably trained provider
- Parkinson’s disease
- Post-surgery
- Previous heart surgery or heart attack (must have completed phase 3 cardiac rehab)
- Risk of falls or balance issues
- Stroke or brain injury
Patients also qualify if they have 3 or more of the following lifestyle factors:
- Smoker
- Prediabetes
- Family history of heart disease
- Overweight with a BMI below 30
- High cholesterol
- Sedentary lifestyle
- High blood pressure (140/90)
Absolute contraindications (do not refer) are:
- resting systolic blood pressure >180mmHg
- resting diastolic blood pressure >100mmHg
- recent myocardial infarction (must have completed Phase 3 Cardiac rehab)
- new (< 1 month) or uncontrolled angina, or if it occurs at rest or lower levels of exertion than normal
- new (< 3 months) or unstable diabetes and blood levels > 13mmol
- a recent change in resting ECG suggesting MI
- symptomatic severe aortic stenosis
- acute myocarditis or pericarditis
- suspected or known dissecting aneurysm >4cm
- unstable or acute cardiac event with fluid retention, excessive breathlessness, rapid weight gain, leg swelling or excessive tiredness
- new (< 3 months) or uncontrolled arrhythmias
- uncontrolled resting tachycardia > 100bpm
- experiences pain, dizziness or excessive breathlessness during exertion
- symptomatic hypotension (during exercise) - Fall in SBP >20mg/Hg or DBP >10mg/Hg within 3 mins of standing
- acute pulmonary embolus or infection
- febrile illness or acute infection
- other rapidly terminal illness
- acute uncontrolled psychiatric/cognitive illness
- recent injurious fall without medical assessment
Contact us if you are a health professional and wish to refer to Active 4 Health Lifestyle Hub. You can download the exercise referral form as a Word document. If you need this document in a different format, please email active4health@dorsetcouncil.gov.uk.