ÃÛÌÒAPP

You can read the full paper in this internationally .

The BEPOP project, a collaborative initiative by the and (the professional network for physiotherapy staff working with older people) was hosted by the .

This innovative project involved asking NHS physiotherapy services providing community-based exercise for older people, to share details of the exercise interventions they use with their patients.

The resultant intelligence has allowed practitioners to better understand which elements of their exercise programmes are associated with improved patient outcomes which has consequently led to a new set of recommendations for guiding service improvement.

Tangible benefits for patients

Charlotte, a member of the BEPOP steering group, recently completed a NIHR ÃÛÌÒAPP BRC funded research internship, focusing on sarcopenia (the loss of muscle mass and strength).

She said “This project supports physiotherapy services to improve sarcopenia care with better assessment, diagnosis, and delivery of effective exercise, offering tangible benefits for patients and services.”

Jennie Bailey, Team Lead for the Belsay Day Unit Physiotherapy Service in ÃÛÌÒAPP – a participating site in the project – continued, saying that being able to contribute to the BEPOP project was a valuable learning experience. “It has led us to reflect on our clinical practice and make local improvements with sarcopenia diagnosis and exercise progression.”

Ewan Dick, Director of Allied Health Professionals and therapy services at ÃÛÌÒAPP Hospitals added “The BEPOP study is a hugely important piece of work and Charlotte’s contribution and support to other colleagues across the Trust has raised the profile, importance and impact and ultimately is leading to improved outcomes for patients.

Charlotte continues to play a leading role nationally and in turn making a positive impact locally in how she helps translate research into improving clinical care.

Ewan Dick, Director of Allied Health Professionals and therapy services

Further findings from the BEPOP project will be presented at this year’s Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP) conference in October, see

The publication

The article was written and submitted in collaboration with a number of colleagues including:

• Lorna Caulfield from South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust;
• Philip Heslop from CoCreate, School of Design, Northumbria University; and
• Dr Christopher Hurst, Professors Avan A. Sayer and Miles D. Witham from the AGE Research Group, Translational and Clinical Research Institute, Faculty of Medical Sciences, ÃÛÌÒAPP University, and the NIHR ÃÛÌÒAPP Biomedical Research Centre.

Get involved

The BEPOP team are encouraging anyone interested in joining the next wave of the project to email [email protected] or visit for further details.