Woman stood regathering her breath after completing an exercise

PARS

Welcome to Manchester Active PARS.

PARS offers specialist support and physical activity opportunities for people living with long term health conditions that require a tailored delivery approach. Our exercise sessions follow an evidence-based approach and are specific to meet the needs of conditions such as coronary heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), Diabetes and stroke amongst other long term health conditions.

On receipt of your referral, you will be invited to attend a one-to-one consultation with one of Manchester Active’s Physical Activity Referral officers (PARO).  The initial consultation will deliver an in-depth health screening tool to help ensure you are prescribed the most suitable activity session to meet your health needs.  Your PARO will work with you to identify and agree goals that are important to you, whist helping you increase your activity levels across a 12-week rehabilitation intervention.

All activity sessions will be booked by your PARO at your initial consultation.  You will be reviewed after a 12-week programme of sessions with regards your progress through to the next stage of your health and fitness journey.

You would be referred because your doctor or your healthcare professional feels that your health will benefit if you are more active in your everyday life.

Physical activity has a positive effect on many long term health conditions including heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and many more.

It can also reduce the risk of healthy people developing these conditions. Being active regularly is also important in helping to maintain a healthy weight.

Before you start exercising with PARS you will receive an invite to attend a clinical appointment. At this appointment your health and suitability for taking part in physical activity will be assessed by a Physical Activity Referral Officer (PARO).

You will be given specific advice on activities and exercises that will benefit you, taking into account your own personal health conditions.

As part of the assessment you will be weighed and the PARO will take your blood pressure, which will help us to assess your suitability for the different types of activities.

The PARO will discuss and agree with you what you want to achieve from your referral to the PARS team. These goals will be reviewed at all follow up appointments. The goals will help us to recommend appropriate exercise sessions for you. The PARO will give you follow up appointments for 3, 6 and 12 months to be reviewed.

Following the appointment you will attend local exercise classes or other activity sessions as discussed and agreed at your initial appointment with the PARO. You will be provided with support and advice at the sessions about how hard you should work and the progression of the exercises. It is expected that you will attend these sessions for a minimum of 12 weeks.

At 12 weeks you will be asked to attend your first follow up appointment where your PARO will review your progress.  If you have met your goals you will be referred onto and progressed to similar activities within the community that will help continue your activity goals. Or you may be offered a referral to one of the local leisure centres to take up the Healthwise programme within the gym.

– We expect you to attend all four appointments
– To regularly attend the classes or activities that are recommended to you by the PARO.

– Regular checks (as described above) to ensure you are active at the right level.
– We will also recommend the types of activity that we feel are most suited to your needs taking account of your personal preferences.
– Support for you during the 12 months.
– We will let you know who to contact if you have any problems.
– Your GP, practice nurse or health professional will be able to sign post you to our service

Eligibility for PARS
– Asthma
– Cancer
– COPD
– Coronary Heart Disease
– Cardiovascular disease (includes – Stroke, TIA and AF, heart failure)
– Chronic Fatigue
– Diabetes (T1)
– Risk of falls or frailty
– Fibromyalgia
– Osteoarthritis
– Peripheral Arterial Disease, including Lymphedema
– Rheumatoid Arthritis

Contraindications to exercise
  • People who are already active – UK Chief Medical Officers’ guidelines 150 mins moderate 75 mins vigorous.
  • Unhealed surgical wounds.
  • Uncontrolled or unstable angina
  • new onset and not established for longer than 1 month, angina at rest or increase in angina (frequency/severity/occurrence on lower levels)
  • Deteriorating exercise performance/functional capacity despite apparent compliance with exercise regimen and medication
  • Resting systolic blood pressure 180mmHg & / or diastolic blood pressure 100mmHg
  • Uncontrolled resting tachycardia > 100bpm
  • New and uncontrolled atrial or ventricular arrhythmias
  • Unstable or acute heart failure
  • Unstable diabetes
  • A recent (within last 6 months) significant change in a resting ECG, recent myocardial infarction or other acute cardiac event.
  • Experiences pain, dizziness or excessive breathlessness during exertion.
  • Any hypoglycaemic episodes in the last 2 weeks or patients not able to monitor when hypoglycaemic episodes occur.
  • Febrile illness
  • Symptomatic hypotension/significant drop of blood pressure when exercising
  • Any unstable/uncontrolled condition
  • A recent (within last 3 months) Stroke/TIA
  • Advanced cancer & end of life
  • People who have accessed the referral programme with Manchester Active in the previous 12 months. After 12 months, if the reason for referral has changed the client may be eligible for further support on the scheme

Where possible, high risk patients should be referred to specialist exercise rehabilitation e.g. Cardiac or Pulmonary Rehabilitation. Otherwise, the procedure for dealing with high risk clients is as follows: All conditions must be stable and controlled.

Each client and their conditions will be triaged on an individual basis. Only when sufficient information has been received can an informed decision be made on the individual’s case. The GP remains medically responsible for the client.