Prehabilitation
Waiting Well is a programme to support you to prepare well, both physically and emotionally, before your treatment or surgery. Surgery can be hard on your body and mind. Being at your best when having surgery will reduce risks.
Why it’s important to prepare
There are several risk factors that can have a negative effect on the way your body will cope with the stress of your treatment or operation, and these include:
- Physical inactivity
- Frailty
- Obesity or malnutrition
- Smoking
- Increased alcohol consumption
By helping you to take some simple, early steps to adopt healthy behaviours, you can improve both your ability to cope with your treatment and enhance your recovery.
- Physical activity
- Psychological wellbeing
- Nutritional support
How Waiting Well works
Clients are identified as suitable from treatment or surgical waiting lists; you will receive a phone call from the team who will explain the programmes we can offer. Your GP cannot refer you and you cannot refer yourself to Waiting Well.
If you are eligible, you will then be invited to attend an initial assessment. This will either take place telephone, virtually or in person. During this appointment we will discuss and look at each of the risk factors. We will work with you to identify changes you can make to improve your recovery from your treatment or surgery. Many of these will also have long-term benefits on your health.
We will work with you to develop your personal health and wellbeing plan. This will usually comprise an individual exercise programme alongside other interventions to support any lifestyle changes that you wish to make, such as stopping smoking.
If at assessment the team feel that you need to additional support, you will be referred to our team of allied health professionals for specialist support. These include:
- Occupational Therapy
- Physiotherapy
- Dieticians
This service is delivered in partnership by our Trust and the Pioneering Care Partnership (PCP).