The Future of Sport and Exercise Medicine in Scotland

The Future of Sport and Exercise Medicine (SEM) in Scotland was a key topic delivered by Dr Michelle Jeffrey, Fellow of the FSEM, at the RCP&S of Glasgow Triennial Conference: Advancing Excellence in Healthcare last week.  The FSEM hosted its own Sport and Exercise Medicine Symposium at the conference, in the run up to the Commonwealth Games 2014, to raise awareness of the specialty of SEM across Scotland, the UK and internationally.

Exercise Medicine has a large scale application in improving the health of the general public and in the prevention and treatment of chronic diseases through exercise advice and prescription. The creation of Sport and Exercise Medicine (SEM) posts and services in NHS Scotland would support the implementation of the Scottish National Physical Activity Pathway and avoid the depletion of Scotland’s sport and exercise medicine skills base.

There are currently no dedicated exercise medicine based consultant posts within the NHS for the general population of Scotland. Such services could be used, very cost effectively, to vastly improve common musculoskeletal disorders and in the prevention and treatment of common diseases such as cancer, diabetes and heart disease.

The FSEM would like to see Scotland keep its Sport and Exercise Medicine specialists and develop new specialist training posts within the NHS for the future health of the nation.

Read the full position statement on The Future of SEM in Scotland here