Regular movement and physical activity are a key part of optimising health and wellbeing during treatment for cancer.
Patients commonly report the following benefits from being physically active:
- Reduces anxiety, low mood and depression
- Alleviates lymphoedema
- Improves cancer-related fatigue
- Improves sleep quality
- Helps restore wellbeing and quality of life
- Reduces hospital stay and improves recovery
- Reduces post-operative complications and side effects from anti-cancer treatment.
Can Move is a partnership between the NHS and community providers to support the wellbeing of people living with a cancer diagnosis by helping them become or stay active, which will improve patient outcomes.
There is lots of evidence detailing the benefits of regular movement and activity to people living with a cancer diagnosis, the Moving Medicine website has gathered all of it together for both healthcare professionals and patients to utilise.
Visit consultation guide tab: www.movingmedicine.ac.uk
Can Move Physio
For individuals who feel they need input from a healthcare professional to enable and support them to be more active before, during or after cancer treatments and surgery.
Patients need to complete a referral form, either contact physio directly or email bht.cancer.inf@nhs.net
Can Move Exercise Professional
Community-based group activities that can be accessed by all patients from the point of a cancer diagnosis to support them to be fit for and during treatment as well as to support rehab.
Sessions are led by experienced exercise instructors with specialist exercise referral qualifications (level 3) and a cancer pre and rehab qualification provided by the national Canhab programme (Level 4 www.canrehab.com.)
Patients need to complete a referral form, either contact exercise professional directly or email bht.cancer.inf@nhs.net
Can Move Community
Low intensity group-based activities that will help patients physical and emotional wellbeing. These are led by qualified exercise instructors, but they do not hold cancer pre and rehab qualifications. Ideal for patients who don’t need specialist cancer rehab but want to keep active.
No referral is needed, see the patient flyer for session details.
Click here to download a copy of the Can Move referral form.
To print this leaflet, select colour, or black and the option for ‘double sided, flipped on the short side’
Click here to download a copy of the Can Move overview leaflet for health care professionals.
