Publish date: 30 September 2024
The AWP Physiotherapy and Exercise Specialist Team organised a sports day for patients at the newly refurbished Larch facilities at Callington Road Hospital, with activities including cycling, running and circuits.
The Team support patients with serious mental health conditions to increase their levels of physical activity during their time in hospital.
Larch Ward at Callington Road Hospital has recently been refurbished providing a fresh new space for patients to exercise. This includes a gym and a multi-purpose room which is used for a number of different sessions.
Service users who participated in the sports day were presented with a certificate, water bottle and a day pass for a local leisure centre.
Procolo Testa, Physiotherapist & Exercise Team Leader at AWP explains the benefits of organising the sports day for their patients, “Movement is a huge part of recovery and at AWP we encourage exercise and movement in a number of different ways.
“It doesn’t always mean a gym session, it could be a walk in the park, a group session in our multi-purpose room doing adapted Thai Chi or strength yoga style sessions. It’s important we tailor activities to the individual’s needs.”
Feedback from service users included:
“I was not going to go to my usual walk that day, but speaking with the exercise specialist about the sports day gave me a burst of motivation. I ignored the bad weather and went for a 4km walk which I really enjoyed”.
“Knowing I was going to compete against other wards gave me the extra motivation to work hard on my legs with the squat challenge.”
Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust (AWP) provides healthcare for people with serious mental illness, learning disabilities and autism in inpatient and community-based settings. We service a population of around 1.8 million across Bath and North East Somerset (BaNES), Swindon and Wiltshire, and Bristol, North Somerset, and South Gloucestershire.
