BH Live expands initiative to support cancer patients

Wessex Cancer Alliance’s PREHAB Cancer exercise programme is coming to BH Live Active leisure centres across Southampton to help cancer patients prepare for surgery.

First introduced at Bournemouth’s Littledown Centre in 2018 under the name of ‘WesFit’, this prehabilitation exercise programme has already improved the post-surgery experience for hundreds of patients across Bournemouth and Portsmouth.

Thanks to a partnership with leading clinical researchers and healthcare specialists at University Hospital Southampton (UHS) and Wessex Cancer Alliance, BH Live is now expanding this innovative exercise and wellbeing programme to support even more people in the city preparing for cancer treatment.

The programme is aimed at individuals aged 18 and over with stage 3 and 4 cancer and who are preparing for surgery. If they are successfully referred onto the scheme, they will receive a personalised exercise plan to improve their cardiovascular fitness ahead of their surgery. The benefits of the prehabilitation exercise programme are said to include improved confidence, better fitness levels, reduced length of stay in hospital, enhanced quality of life and reduced post-treatment complications.

Activities include one-to-one personal training and group exercise classes such as cycling, yoga, Pilates and swimming. The scheme is available at BH Live Active, Bitterne; BH Live Active, Chamberlayne; and BH Live Active, The Quays – all centres owned by Southampton City Council.