Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 21 September 2023
66. Deputy Duncan Smith asked the Minister for Health if he is aware of an organisation (details supplied); if so, his views on the organisation’s role in assisting recovery through exercise; if he can commit to ensuring support for current classes in line with other support partners; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40548/23]
View answerThe promotion of physical activity is a priority item under the Healthy Ireland Framework, as evidenced by the publication of the National Physical Activity Plan (NPAP) in 2016.
Substantial progress has been made in the implementation of the 60 actions set out in the NPAP, led by the Departments of Health and Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, through a cross-sectoral Implementation Group that includes a range of other Government Departments and agencies. Drafting of a successor strategy to the NPAP is currently underway which will set out the priorities in this area for the coming years.
One in three Irish adults are living with chronic disease. A range of organisations provide community-based exercise classes for chronic disease populations. These include patient support organisations, not-for-profit organisations such as ExWell Medical, and the publicly funded network of Local Sports Partnerships across Ireland. The HSE works in partnership with many of these to ensure access to exercise provision for adults living with chronic disease.
In a number of areas, the HSE has established formal working and funding relationships with ExWell Ltd. to provide access for patients to their exercise programmes.
The HSE are currently in the process of designing and implementing a Physical Activity Pathways in Healthcare model (PAPH), which will provide a structured physical activity programme for people with chronic disease or long-term health conditions, who do not require clinically led exercise programmes, with a focus on building their skills and confidence to engage with and maintain recreational sport participation independently.
Any future engagement with ExWell Medical will be considered in the context of the development and implementation of the PAPH model.
