Can gyms become part of preventative healthcare?

Gyms and leisure centres are attracting record numbers of people, but their future role could extend far beyond fitness. But is this viable and achievable in practice?

The UK recorded 679 million visits to health and fitness clubs during 2025, up 10% in a year, according to the UK Health & Fitness Market Report 2026. Around 12.2 million people over 16 are now members, equivalent to 18% of the population.

Those figures raise an important question: could Britain’s gyms and leisure centres become a more formal part of preventative healthcare?

The direction of NHS policy certainly creates an opportunity. The Government’s 10 Year Health Plan for England is built around three major shifts, including moving care from hospital to community and from sickness to prevention. New neighbourhood health services are intended to bring more healthcare closer to where people live. Meanwhile, NHS England describes physical activityas essential for helping people live better with long-term conditions and says the greatest health and economic gains can be achieved by helping inactive people become more active. It also highlights physical activity’s role in delaying the onset and progression of disease and improving overall health.

The argument becomes particularly compelling when the reach of the sector is considered. ukactive says the UK now has 5842 health and fitness clubs. For a health service trying to intervene earlier and closer to home, that existing network could be difficult to ignore.