Re-invigorating the Nation! Sport and Exercise Medicine Reaches GPs

Sport and Exercise Medicine (SEM) will be firmly on the agenda at the Royal College of GPs Annual Conference on Friday 4 October 2013.

Two Sport and Exercise Medicine Registrars, Dr Jim Kerrs and Dr Dinesh Sirisena, will be presenting ‘Re-invigorating the Nation’ at the conference, which is attended by over 2000 primary care professionals.

The presentation is designed to increase awareness amongst GPs of the importance of physical activity and the potential benefits of being active for prevention and treatment of a range of chronic diseases. The GPs, training to be specialists in SEM, will also be discussing practical & simple methods for GPs to advise patients on being physically active.

Dr Rod Jaques, President of the Faculty of Sport and Exercise Medicine comments:”The Faculty of SEM is pleased to see Exercise Medicine represented at one of the largest primary care conferences in the UK. There is a need to increase awareness amongst GPs about Sport and Exercise Medicine because it is a specialty that can be applied effectively to primary as well as secondary care. We would like to see a co-ordinated approach within the NHS to improving the long-term health of the public by increasing exercise medicine in General Practice, therefore easing the burden on our health services.”

The discussion will also outline how the development of SEM services within the NHS could help tackle the problems the UK faces with physical inactivity and how it could save the NHS money over the long term.

Dr Kerss and Dr Sirisena are presenting during the innovation stream on Friday between 2-3pm.

Notes to Editors:

Dr Jim Kerss is a GP completing specialty training in SEM in Liverpool. He is also a Medical Education Fellow in the North West Deanery.

Dr Dinesh Sirisena is a GP completing specialty training in SEM with the London Deanery. He also works with AFC Wimbledon, Northampton saints and the FA and was a doctor at the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

For further information contact the Faculty of Sport and Exercise Medicine email: pr@fsem.ac.uk tel:0131 527 3498 or Mobile: 07900937524