Nuffield Health is set to roll out its new Long-Term Conditions Rehabilitation Programme, aiming to offer 50,000 free places across the UK every year from 2027.

An extension of its Joint Pain Programme – which uses structured exercise to support people living with musculoskeletal and pain conditions – The Long-Term Conditions Rehabilitation Programme tackles a broader range of long-term health conditions including cardiovascular, metabolic and respiratory disease.

The Long-Terms Conditions Programme has been developed in partnership with experts from Manchester Metropolitan University at the Manchester Institute for Health & Performance and will initially operate from 11 locations across the UK.

Access to the programme will be through referrals from a local GP, pharmacist or another healthcare professional. The programme is available to people living with health conditions and experiencing chronic pain, long-term fatigue, or breathlessness.

Nuffield Health has undertaken social value research in conjunction with Frontier Economics into its Joint Pain Programme. In 2024 more than 12,000 people took part, with the vast majority reporting a significant improvement in their pain levels and quality of life, leading to 86,000 less sick days and avoiding 31,000 GP appointments over the course of the year.

Some 516,00 people in the Greater Manchester region live with musculoskeletal conditions, yet less than one third have a care plan. The research claims that offering structured exercise classes to people living with joint pain in Greater Manchester could save 900,000 sick days and 250,000 GP appointments annually. It could deliver £1.7 billion in benefits for local people, the NHS and the economy and get 3,000 people across the city back to work.

If scaled across the UK the benefits could be as much as £34 billion in social value, including £18 billion in health benefits, £13 billion for carers and £230 million in NHS savings.

Davina Deniszczyc, charity and medical director at Nuffield Health, says: “This programme gives people in Greater Manchester access to safe, expert-led exercise that can transform their health and improve their quality of life. By making it free and widely available, we’re helping people to significantly reduce their pain, regain independence and get back to the things they love while supporting the NHS.”

Professor Tim Cable, Manchester Metropolitan University, says: “Our analysis shows the huge potential of structured exercise to transform how we manage and treat long-term conditions. Greater Manchester can lead the way and our research partnership with Nuffield Health aims to build on the successes of these existing programmes to support people living with a much wider range of conditions. If scaled, the benefits could be enormous: improving lives, reducing demand on the NHS, and unlocking billions more in social and economic value.”