Exercise by Referral Review

Move Consulting, a specialist consultancy in physical activity and whole system approaches, were commissioned to support Active Derbyshire in reviewing and shaping the future of their exercise by referral scheme, through a collaborative, system-wide lens that engaged key partners across the county.

Active Derbyshire recognised the opportunity to review their current exercise by referral offer and consider how it could evolve to better support health outcomes at a local level. With an ambition to explore a more integrated and collaborative approach, they brought in the team to help review the current system, understand wider best practice, and facilitate a shared vision for future development.  

OUR APPROACH  

Understanding the client’s needs  

The first phase of the project focused on building a solid understanding of the local and national context for exercise by referral. The team undertook a comprehensive review of all available evidence, including previous evaluations of the Derbyshire scheme, local databases, and relevant national policy.  

This was paired with a review of similar programmes operating elsewhere in England to identify effective practice that could inform the work in Derbyshire. Understanding the baseline context was essential in identifying where opportunities lay for future development.  

Facilitating system-wide collaboration  

With a foundation of insight in place, the team designed and facilitated a system-wide stakeholder event that brought together local partners from across sectors. The workshop explored current challenges, clarified key definitions, and helped to shape a collective vision for the future of physical activity and referral pathways in Derbyshire.  

The workshop supported attendees to:  

• Develop a shared understanding of what exercise by referral means locally  
• Agree on consistent language and definitions  
• Identify priority areas for future development  

In parallel, the team worked with partners to map local stakeholders and physical activity assets across the county. This process revealed areas of strength, as well as gaps and opportunities for greater collaboration and connection between services.  

Gathering deeper insights  

To complement the system-wide perspective, a series of one-to-one consultations were carried out with leads from each of the eight district-level exercise by referral programmes. These conversations explored the specifics of local delivery, highlighted examples of innovative practice, and uncovered real-world challenges faced by those implementing the scheme on the ground.  

Evolving the approach  

One of the key insights from the consultation phase was the recognition of a shared ambition to broaden the current offer beyond traditional exercise by referral. Stakeholders expressed a clear appetite to develop wider “physical activity for health” pathways that create stronger and more sustainable connections between community-based activity and health services.  

By bringing together insight from national research, local consultations and regional engagement, the team developed a series of evidence-informed recommendations to support Active Derbyshire in shaping the next phase of their work.  

WHAT THIS MEANT FOR OUR CLIENT  

Craig Homer, Strategic Lead at Active Derbyshire said after the project had been successfully completed;

“It has provided the foundations and some evidence base to advance our discussions, decision making and actions.”

“The team at Move Consulting were great to work with throughout this project through their personable nature and passion for this work area. They provided the right balance of knowledge, experience and expertise to help guide and inform us towards new possibilities for exercise referral in Derbyshire.”

“They outlined a clear and coherent structure at the outset to show what they would do and how they would work, whilst being flexible throughout. The final report was comprehensive and provides us with a mandate for change, with recommendations, ideas and possibilities for the future. I particularly liked the national context they added to suggestions and the format of the adapt/adopt recommendations to support the evolution of local delivery over time.”

This project has laid the groundwork for a more integrated and inclusive approach to physical activity and health across Derbyshire. By creating space for local partners to connect and co-create, the work has already sparked new conversations and momentum that will support the continued development of the county’s physical activity system.

Interested in working with us?

If you're exploring how to develop physical activity for health pathways, or looking to create more effective initiatives and programmes to help people move more, we’d love to support your work.  

Visit [moveconsulting.co.uk](https://www.moveconsulting.co.uk) to learn more about how the team can help your organisation.