Couch to Fitness Evaluation

The Challenge

Couch to Fitness is a free, nine-week online fitness programme developed by Our Parks with support from London Sport and Sport England. Designed for complete beginners, the programme offers adaptable video workouts, making it accessible to a wide range of people regardless of experience or fitness level.

Following strong engagement from inactive audiences through direct marketing, Our Parks and London Sport approached Move Consulting to explore whether Couch to Fitness could be effectively integrated into health and social care referral pathways—particularly as a signposting tool for healthcare professionals supporting people with long-term conditions, poor mental health, or low confidence around physical activity.

As Chris Norfield, Head of Digital Products at Our Parks described:

 “We wanted to understand if Couch to Fitness could be used as part of a referral solution for health professionals. Move Consulting’s sector knowledge and understanding of referral systems gave us confidence that they would deliver useful insights and engage the right people in the process.”

Our Approach

Move Consulting delivered a structured and insight-driven review of the Couch to Fitness programme, assessing its potential to be used in formal or informal referral settings.

We engaged with a broad range of expert stakeholders—including the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP), the National Academy for Social Prescribing (NASP), and academic experts in exercise referral—to understand the quality standards, policy frameworks, and expectations surrounding digital interventions in healthcare.

We then convened a dedicated expert advisory group to review Couch to Fitness using the APEASE framework (Affordability, Practicability, Effectiveness, Acceptability, Side-effects/safety, Equity). This process helped identify both immediate opportunities and longer-term considerations to strengthen the programme for use by healthcare referrers.

What was delivered

As part of this project, Move Consulting provided:

• Stakeholder engagement with national health, referral, and policy experts
   
• An evidence-based review of quality assurance and referral system requirements
   
• Facilitation of an expert advisory group using the APEASE framework to assess programme suitability
   
• A set of clear, actionable recommendations to support the programme’s development and positioning within referral settings
   
• Guidance for endorsement processes, including exploration of formal recognition routes through the RCGP

Project impact

The recommendations delivered by Move Consulting are actively shaping the ongoing development of Couch to Fitness. Several ‘quick win’ improvements were implemented immediately, while other insights continue to inform strategic decisions about how the programme evolves and how it can be positioned for use within healthcare settings.