Active Dorset are delighted to be working in partnership with Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust to expand the health and wellbeing offer at South Walks House.

Since the opening of the permanent Outpatient Assessment Centre at South Walks House in February 2024, LiveWell Dorset has been an integral part of Multi-Disciplinary teams delivering a new model of care for patients. LiveWell Navigators have provided support for a range of Orthopaedic clinics by carrying out lifestyle assessments with patients and delivering brief interventions. The aim of the service was to encourage patients to identify lifestyle changes, engage in further support and ultimately improve health outcomes.

As Public Health Dorset's free behaviour change service, LiveWell has been ideally placed to work alongside clinicians, helping patients with on-the-spot healthy lifestyle advice as well as looping them into the LiveWell service for ongoing support for weight management, smoking cessation, alcohol reduction and increasing physical activity.

Following a period of review, Active Dorset are looking to expand the offer whilst further developing how prevention is embedded into patient appointments at
South Walks House. A new Outpatient Lifestyle Service will seek to work across a number of outpatient departments in addition to orthopaedic clinics. LiveWell handed over on-site delivery to the new Outpatient Lifestyle Service managed by Active Dorset, on 1st October.

Active Dorset will develop a holistic signposting approach as part of the Outpatient Lifestyle Service that will be personalised to patient needs. Active Dorset will develop working relationships with services such as Help and Care, social prescribing services, Access Wellbeing, LiveWell Dorset, Steps to Wellbeing and others.

This new arrangement will ensure orthopaedic clinics and clinicians can continue to access the additional holistic benefits of a lifestyle support service like LiveWell Dorset whilst ensuring that further departments can benefit from work with the Outpatient Lifestyle Service experience.

"We are thrilled to be continuing our partnership with Dorset County Hospital through embedding prevention into outpatient services. By providing a health and wellbeing service to patients who are receiving clinical care, patients will be able to gain better access to services, supporting their non-clinical needs in order to improve their health and wellbeing, whilst also improving clinical optimisation." Chloe Smith, Active Dorset's Health & Physical Activity Manager.

Four new colleagues make up the new Outpatient Lifestyle service team, fronted by Outpatient Lifestyle Manager Courtney Lowman.

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NOTES TO EDITORS:

What is the Outpatient Lifestyle Service?

The Outpatient Lifestyle Service is funded by Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and Active Dorset to embed prevention as business as usual, improving patient outcomes and clinical optimisation.

The service will offer a quality, consistent experience and holistic support for patients, with the Outpatient Lifestyle Team signposting to a range of organisations and services such as LiveWell Dorset, Help and Care, The Lantern Trust, Access Wellbeing, Steps to Wellbeing and others.

Key Priorities for the Outpatient Lifestyle Service:

• To develop trusted working relationships with staff teams working at South Walks House. Establishing regular communication with staff and department teams.
• Work with clinical departments to understand how each clinic can be supported using a test and learn approach to understand what works best.
• Establishing data collection methods so that lifestyle data is captured as part of patient records in every appointment. Digital development of DIIS dashboard to understand impact on patient outcomes, inequalities, population health and clinical optimization.

For more information, please contact: dhunt@activedorset.org

About Active Dorset Community Interest Company

Active Dorset support strategic leaders with high quality advice and advocacy so that people in Dorset choose to enjoy an active lifestyle through participation in sport and physical activity.

As a Community Interest Company, Active Dorset are committed to reinvesting any surpluses they generate back into local opportunities for sport and physical activity.
For more information please visit www.activedorset.org

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