Nuffield Health committed to building a healthier nation at home

We have launched an online resource hub to provide a number of free resources to support our members, patients and the wider community while the nation remains in lockdown. Available content includes workout videos, emotional wellbeing advice and support for parents and kids to keep them healthy and motivated. We have also moved the majority of our health services online to ensure we can still support customers, including physiotherapy and emotional wellbeing.

In line with guidance from both the government and Public Health England, we closed all of our 112 fitness and wellbeing clubs in March. Membership fees were all frozen and won’t be collected until clubs can re-open. However, during this period we have developed exclusive content to keep members and the wider public motivated, active and healthy through our Nuffield Health My Wellbeing app. Offered completely free-of-charge, members and non-members have access to a whole host of ways to stay fit and healthy from home. Content includes over 800 Les Mills on Demand™ workouts, YouTube fitness classes, a range of fitness challenges to complete as well as emotional wellbeing support, including guides on managing mental wellbeing and tips for self-isolating. 

To support families, we have a kids’ wellbeing hub, which is designed to support both kids and parents during these uncertain times. Content includes a free downloadable wellbeing journal and guide for parents and young people, which supports them to take ownership of and manage their own emotional wellbeing. Based around the four pillars of wellbeing - diet, exercise, sleep and mental health - the My Wellbeing Journal is a great resource for families to use together to track their children’s overall wellbeing, and help give them a sense of achievement. 

Our Chief Operating Officer, Martin Friend,Chief Operating Officer comments: “We’re fully committed to supporting both our members and our wider community with their health and wellbeing during the coronavirus pandemic. While we can’t operate from our physical sites, we are looking at all the ways we can engage, motivate and support through our online platforms.”

We have also introduced fully remote online health and wellbeing services for physiotherapy and emotional wellbeing to support customers during the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Customers will have online access to 550 chartered physiotherapists to continue rehabilitation, as well as effective and safe online therapy, to ensure those struggling with mental health don’t have to wait for face-to-face treatment. We are also continuing to provide GP services for our corporate customers via an online service. 

Our Chief Executive, Steve Gray, adds: “These are unprecedented times, and as the UK’s largest healthcare charity we have a huge role to play in our local communities, including helping people stay active at home. We are evolving how we can continue to deliver our services as the country remains in lockdown and how we can offer vital support.”

We are also reviewing how our fitness and wellbeing clubs can be used to further support our hospitals. Two of our clubs have been transformed into temporary clinics to continue the care of patients with the aim of freeing up capacity at our co-located hospitals for NHS patients with coronavirus (Covid-19).

Steve Gray, continues: “Our purpose is to build a healthier nation and we are in a unique position among independent hospitals to care for patients at different site locations because of our network of hospitals and fitness and wellbeing clubs across the UK. We have made all of our hospitals available to support the NHS Covid-19 patients, urgent elective and cancer care.”

We have agreed with NHS representatives to make all our hospitals available to NHS trusts across England and Wales. This includes making 14 of our nurseries open to provide free childcare to NHS and other key workers and reviewing how our workforce across our network of fitness and wellbeing clubs and clinics can support the NHS. We will be reimbursed at cost meaning no profit will be made and this will be audited by external auditors.

Last updated Tuesday 21 April 2020

First published on Tuesday 21 April 2020