NCSEM and FSEM seminar: Physical activity and cancer prehabilitation: innovation in digital delivery

Professor Rob Copeland is Director of The Advanced Wellbeing Research Centre (AWRC), Professor of Physical Activity and Health at The Centre for Sport & Exercise Science, Sheffield Hallam University and a Chartered Sport and Exercise Psychologist with the Health Care Professions Council and British Psychological Society. Rob is also the Director for the National Centre for Sport and Exercise Medicine (NCSEM) in Sheffield. Rob’s work through the AWRC and NCSEM has received national and international recognition, and has been the catalyst for systems change in Sheffield, including the development and delivery of the city’s physical activity strategy – Move More, which Rob authored. Rob has recently been appointed as the psychological and behaviour change lead for a prehabilitation consensus process in partnership with MacMillan, the Royal College of Anaesthetists Perioperative Medicine leadership group and NIHR. Rob’s work for the NCSEM also involves the co-location of NHS clinics in three leisure centres across the City (delivering 80,000 appointments per annum including surgery schools), enhancing workforce health and wellbeing in the NHS through lifestyle modification programmes, designing active environments and communities as well as developing whole school approaches to physical activity.

Sandy Jack is a Consultant Clinician Scientist in the Anaesthesia and Critical Care Research Unit at University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust, Southampton and NIHR Southampton Respiratory Biomedical Research Unit and Integrated Physiology and Critical Illness Group, Clinical and Experimental Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton. She is also Honorary Senior Lecturer at the University of Liverpool, University of Southampton and University College London. She was Director of the Clinical Diagnostic and Preoperative Assessment Exercise service at Aintree University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. She was an investigator on the recent Xtreme Everest 2 expedition where she led on hypoxic ventilator control tests.

Dr John Moore is the Clinical Director for the Prehab4Cancer programme. He is the Medical Director on the ERAS+ programme and is the Clinical Head of Division for Anaesthesia, Peri-Operative Medicine and Critical Care Services at Central Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust. He is a Consultant in Anaesthetics and Intensive Care Medicine and a National Innovation Accelerator Fellow for NHS England.John graduated in medicine from the University of Manchester in 1997 (MB ChB Hons). He took up his Consultant post at Central Manchester University Hospitals in Aug 1997. He became deputy CD and then CD for Adult critical care in May 2013. He has a widespread interest in the care of elective and emergency patients. He has a long-standing passion for QI, having been one of the joint developers of the National Tracheostomy Safety Project and is utilising his established and extensive innovation experience to contribute to the design, development and implementation of the Prehab4Cancer programme in Greater Manchester.John is one of the Physical Activity co-chairs on the joint Macmillan and Royal College of Anaesthetist’s current ‘Fit for and after Cancer treatment’ FACT project, developing UK wide principles and guidance for prehabilitation in oncology.

Zoe Merchant is the Programme Lead for the Prehab4cancer programme. She is a specialist Occupational Therapist with over 10 years of physical and neuro-rehabilitation experience. Her previous posts have included setting up rehabilitation services for patients with a wide range of conditions, for which she was nominated for the NHS Leadership Academy ‘Emerging Leader’ award. Zoe is a passionate Allied Health Professional (AHP) and a member of the Macmillan AHP Expert Group. She is registered with the HCPC and is a member of the Royal College of Occupational Therapists (including the Oncology Specialist Section). Zoe chairs a bi-monthly GM AHP advisory board focused on AHPs expert contributions to prehabilitation and rehabilitation. Zoe is one of the main contributors to the patient engagement work stream within the joint Macmillan and Royal College of Anaesthetist’s current ‘Fit for and after Cancer treatment’ FACT project, developing UK wide principles and guidance for prehabilitation in oncology. Zoe has recently been shortlisted for the AHA 2019 Macmillan AHP award for Leadership and innovation in cancer rehabilitation.

Dr Tom Collyer qualified in medicine in 1998 from the University of Leeds. He has been a substantive Consultant Anaesthetist at Harrogate District Hospital since August 2009. He has a specialist interest in critical care medicine, enhanced surgical recovery and medical education and I am currently the College Tutor for anaesthesia.

Emma has a professional background in medical research. She is responsible for coordinating the running of the Active Against Cancer the service at Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust.