The National Centre for Sport and Exercise Medicine East Midlands, an Olympic legacy centre aimed at improving the health and wellbeing of the nation, has treated its 20,000th patient since opening its doors three years ago.
The centre, based at Loughborough University, hosts NHS clinics delivered by two local teaching hospital trusts, University Hospitals of Leicester (UHL) and Nottingham University Hospitals (NUH). Opening with two clinics in August 2015, the centre now offers 12 different services including sport and exercise medicine, sports cardiology, pulmonary and cardiac rehabilitation, orthopaedics, and MRI and other diagnostic services.
It’s a newly built facility that benefits from state of the art equipment, spacious, airy consultation rooms, and access to free parking.
Professor Mark Lewis, Director of the NCSEM East Midlands, said: “We are pleased to see the centre is continually going from strength to strength and offering more and more valuable clinical services to the East Midlands community. To have welcomed over 20,000 patients through our doors in three years is a great achievement which has exceeded our expectations, and we hope to continue offering a high-quality service to our patients in the future.”
Jon Currington, Head of Partnerships and Business Development at University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, said: “Our patients and staff love the 21st century environment and access to some of the latest equipment that the centre provides. The focus on sport, exercise and physical activity, outside of the usual hospital environment, helps us think about healthcare differently. The centre opens up new opportunities for greater collaboration between health and academia to improve our clinical outcomes, patients’ experience and quality of our services.”
David Selwyn, Deputy Medical Director for Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, added: “NUH is very proud to be a part of the National Centre for Sport and Exercise Medicine and the Olympic legacy. The centre is vital in forging close working relationships across traditional boundaries and creating new collaborations that are helping to integrate research, education and exercise in the management of common long-term conditions. Central to the work of the centre is increasing public and patient awareness of the importance of healthy living and the impact of exercise on longevity and quality of life.”
The most recent additions to the services offered from the centre have been NUH-delivered clinics in adolescent paediatric diabetology and sports cardiology, delivered by Dr Tabitha Randell and Dr John Walsh respectively.
The centre is working towards its aim of improving the health and wellbeing of the nation through sport, exercise and physical activity and will continue to research and develop innovative interventions and clinical services that have a real impact on population health.