The initiative is part of a two-year research project led by a health and fitness consortium comprising Good Boost, ukactive, Orthopaedic Research UK, ESCAPE-pain and Arthritis Action. The projects aims to investigate how to transform leisure facilities into musculoskeletal hubs. More than 20 million people in the UK suffer from an MSK condition, which accounts for the third largest area of NHS spend at £5bn annually. The consortium aims to design a system-based approach to better integrate leisure facilities in the nation’s healthcare infrastructure, turning them into a locally accessible network of community ‘MSK hubs’.

The aim is to reduce health inequalities and the burden on the NHS by providing local, supported, self-management options for people to better maintain mobility, physical function and reduce pain through exercise. The two programmes comprise Good Boost, an aqua and land-based exercise rehabilitation programme that uses AI technology to assess individual conditions and create tailored exercise programmes. The group sessions aid social support, while enabling individuals to benefit from a personalised exercise plan. The second programme, ESCAPE-pain, is an educational and exercise-based rehabilitation programme, supported by Orthopaedic Research UK, which reduces chronic pain and improves physical and mental wellbeing. Selected sites are also running coffee mornings to support individuals living with arthritis. Hosted in partnership with UK charity Arthritis Action, the free sessions are open to anyone with the condition and provide advice on leading more active lives, pain management and other activities available at the centre.