To want to get gym membership on the NHS

[lucyellensmum]

Our local swimming pool does GP reffered memberships and fitness programs. I suffer with depression and anxiety - i used to love the gym but i cannot afford it or justify the time away from DD. If i could get this at a reduced rate i could ask my mum to have DD for a couple of hours a week just so i could get back on track - i want to come off of ADs but cant do so without an outlet. Has anyone any experience of this?

but there are forms of exercise that you can do for free.

So why should the nhs pay?

I dont think its because dont understand, its just you can get it for free so why should NHS pay out

i really belive exercise helps a lot with depression. i suffer from PND and found going for a long walk every day helped me enormously.

i think it may be worth asking your GP, i dont know the citeria for referrals, but surely its worth asking? they can only say no.

technically i could ask for free gym membership as well as am overweight, but right now its not the right place for me. i just like to swim a bit.

I was told SPD could be helped by swimming and was the only time I could get around without crutches but still had to pay for my gym myself

there are lots of other things that are said to help with depression, laughter for instance, so should the nhs pay for you to go to the local commedy club on a friday night?

Oily fish is said to combat heart disease, should the nhs pay for that?

and so the list goes on.

if regular exercise is more effective for mild depression than drugs, why should the NHS not pay for it?

anti depressants aren't free, you know
nor is counselling

who is the 'they' some of you refer to? The money has to come from somewhere. Mental health services are stretched to the limits finanically in our part of the world. GP counselling make scores of referals every month to our charity's free counselling service - for which we get a pittance of social services and NHS funding. And we nearly closed 18 months ago as the NHS withdrew that funding.
Gyms operate generally to generate cash, not because of some altruistic desire to see us all healthy and happy.

In our town GPs can give ''excercise onprescription'' which is reduced council pool and gym sessions. But there is a 5 month waiting list to join the gym, by which time the 'prescription' has expired and people have to go back to GPs and start all over again.
No prefect answer is there?
Except for do it yourself, for free

I am actually not sure the NHS do pay for it, as this is a council run gym i am reffering to. As i said, my friend simply needed to lose weight, she wasn;t morbidly obese and she was able to do this. It might be that particular gym and our particular council offer this.

Free house? Free car > Well, if you are offering...

if it's a council-run leisure centre, you could just pay for pool time.

i think YABU, though.

there are plenty of forms of exercise you can do for free.

i have depression, too.

walking helps a lot.

even sitting outside.

I think people are being exteremely unfair here. Exercise referral schemes are not free swanky gym memberships. They are schemes worked out between local authorities (or not got profit trusts) and PCTs generally to improve cardiovascular health, often for those recovering from strokes etc. There is a good evidence base behind them, but hey what the hell those people should just go for a walk no?

lucyellensmum do go and talk to your GP about the local scheme. You might not fit the criteria but it's certainly worth a try. I'd also ring up your local PALS service (google your local PCT) and ask if there are any other exercise type schemes - my PCT ran a very successful health walks scheme for example. You never know until you ask!

Actually, LEM's request is not unreasonable.
It would be a hell of a lot chaper to pay for gym membership than for prescription drugs and do her more good in the long term.

It is one of life's great mysteries to me that people fail to acknowledge what a huge part exercising plays in raisning the spirits.

some health/council partnerships do offer prescription like schemes for this either for obese people/hear patients/smoking cessation/depressed people (and others I am sure). Your Gp surgery will know or your PCT would be a place to start: google the area you live in and add pct on to it to find out

i think it's a great idea and used to fund one such scheme

heart patients obviously

ooh nooka, x post! we must be in the same field!

Dh starts cardiac rehab next week, which is an exercise programme at the hospital. he can also be referred to use the local facilities at local council gym/pool.

and, this is actually exactly what I pay my tax and council tax for. more schemes please and less patronising comments. aibu strikes again

my sister got gym membership for a year becasue she had depression. For a year she made an effort and came off the pills BUT at the end of the year she couldnt afford to keep going and had to eventually go back on ADs.

only read op but there are quite a few free forms of exercise about. Why gym membership?

did she pay for her presc medication? i do wish everyone could get gym membership to help them overcome depression. it is a great start on the road to recovery. our scheme gave free one year and then good reduced price afterwards.

Its not about trying to get something for nothing, i honestly cannot afford to do this myself (yes, i cant afford 3-4 pounds per session) and i dont have the motivation for the walking/running - its almost like, if this were prescribed, i would feel obliged to go and take advantage of it - will let you know how i get on.

I understand about the prescription thing LEM.

it is guided and supported so you get a programme that suits you and support to stick to it. you can go for a walk etc etc but often fall by the wayside (whoops no pun intended) withoput the motivation. once you are on teh way to being a regualr exerciser it is harder to stop as it part of your routine and other forms of exercise make sense.

You need just as much motivation for gymming as you do for walking

ska, i probably shouldn't have posted here, i guess people think its looking for an argument. I DO think it is a really good idea, i know i would benefit from it, and if i would, then others would too - I honestly do not want to go running along the beach etc, im quite a bit overweight and would feel extremely self concious puffing and huffing along the promenade. If i could afford this myself, i would pay for it - with regards to the comment, why would i get my mum to babysit for me if its paid for - well that would be because, as it is paid for, i would feel obliged to keep going as it would be totally out of order to take a place on a scheme and not use it.

All those of you out there with depression saying IABU, don;t be knocking it, if someone offered this to you - are your principles going to stop you from doing something that will help you?