Partnership staff Rachel Bruce, lead pharmacist, and Chrissie Stuart, a practice nurse, won the Chairman’s Improving Health Category Gold Award for the More than Medicine project based at Crail GP practice, North East Locality.

The Improving Health Category commends staff who have a Healthy Working Lives idea or have implemented an initiative to improve healthy eating, smoking cessation or improving mental health.

Concerned about the levels of obesity in their patients, Rachel and Chrissie came up with an innovative way to encourage patients from the Crail GP practice to become more active.

Already well aware of the significant benefits of exercise for health and well being for those with chronic disease, Rachel and Chrissie undertook a review of their prescribing ‘activity’ for Type 2 diabetes and hypertension and decided to take a new approach. They initiated discussions with their local Health Improvement Team and Glasgow Life/Live Active and decided to set up a walking group. Five patients turned up for the first initial walk on a cold day in December! It has now grown from strength to strength with up to 20 patients taking part in a 12 week programme.

This project was also a finalist in the recent Scottish Health Awards.