GPs should prescribe parkruns to improve patients’ wellbeing and ease pressure on the NHS, the charity which runs the scheme has said.
Hundreds of thousands of people take part in free five-kilometre running events each weekend in parks around the UK.
Parkrun UK works with a number of GP surgeries to help family doctors ‘socially prescribe’ these events for their patients.
Now it is calling for the initiative to be rolled out across the whole of the NHS.
The charity works with the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP), and nearly 2,000 surgeries around the UK have signed up to socially prescribe parkruns.
It said that if the model was rolled out across the whole NHS, there could be reduced pressure in the system.
‘Participating in parkrun, whether that be walking, running, volunteering or even just coming down to your local park to be outdoors with others, is a great way for people to start to make improvements to their physical and mental health,’ said parkrun chief executive Russ Jefferys.
‘With the government set to announce their 10-Year Health Plan, we believe parkrun can play a vital part in helping reduce the pressure on the NHS and creating a healthier, happier and more active nation by expanding our parkrun practice programme and making sure that parkrun reaches those with most to gain from taking part in it.’
Parkrun UK was founded on October 2, 2004, in Bushey Park, Teddington, with 13 runners
Parkrun UK is led by volunteers and offers free five-kilometre or two-kilometre runs
A poll of 2,000 UK adults, conducted by YouGov on behalf of parkrun, found that 65 per cent believe GPs should prescribe parkruns, with 51 per cent of adults agreeing that such a move could help reduce pressure on the NHS.
Professor Kamila Hawthorne, chairwoman of the RCGP, said: ‘As GPs we have conversations with our patients on a daily basis about changes they can make to their lifestyle to improve their overall health and wellbeing.
‘We also increasingly work with our wider team to recommend initiatives, often in the community, that can have a positive impact on their health, so it’s really good to see from these figures that that there is significant support amongst the public for such interventions.
‘Parkruns are opportunities for people to get outside, get some exercise – whatever their fitness level – meet people, and have fun.
‘Prevention for health is a clinical priority for the RCGP, so it’s great to see our partnership with parkrun UK – connecting GP practices to local parkrun events – go from strength to strength with nearly 2000 practices signed up.’
Dr Hussain Al-Zubaidi, parkrun health partnerships lead, added: ‘Since we started the parkrun practice programme in 2018, we’ve seen the impact that prescribing parkrun can have on people with a range of health conditions but there is huge potential to do more by connecting every GP practice to their local parkrun event.’
