Health Professionals Toolkit
Case studies
Find out how other people have made cycling a bigger part of life – and how they’ve reaped the benefits.
Yash Patel, Health Policy Manager, Devon PCT
“I never used to cycle but then a year and a half ago, when my son (9 years old at the time) took up training, I decided to do it too. My role at work involves looking after heart and cancer services and I was very aware of the dangers of being overweight, especially as both of my parents had heart disease. I encourage my patients to cycle as a way of staving off or combating these health problems and thought that if I was going to be promoting cycling then I should learn how to do it myself first. That way I could say, ‘if I can do it, you can do it too’.
I was very nervous when I started training but I was quickly put at ease. You’re in a group with like-minded people, a lot of whom can’t cycle or haven’t cycled for ages, and the training goes slowly enough that you never feel rushed. It’s a really enjoyable experience.
They taught us everything – from simple things like stopping the bike and getting on and off the bike to eventually being able to go on the roads and reading cycle route maps. It left me a confident cyclist.
I’ve worked with a lot of heart patients and I know that the last thing you want to do when you’re middle-aged is put on some lycra and go to the gym. The great thing about cycling is that it isn’t embarrassing, and it’s fun and easy to learn, unlike the gym which can feel intimidating for overweight, unfit or older people.
Now, cycling for me is another way of keeping physically fit. The great thing about it is that it’s something the whole family can do, and it’s a lot less lonely than running because you can chat along the way.
Now the whole of my family have bikes and we regularly go on long leisurely bike rides on the weekends. Devon is very safe to cycle in, and has such beautiful countryside – especially in this gorgeous weather!”
Bob Adams, Car Parking and Projects Manager – Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Trust
“The Trust is proactive in promoting a healthy lifestyle amongst staff and cycling is an easy way of helping them keep fit and in good shape.
We’ve implemented a wide range of initiatives since 2001; belonging to the Exeter Cycle Forum has given us lots of ideas and help with implementing all of the measures that we’ve taken to encourage cycling. It’s crucial to have representatives from the health community in the forum.
The changes we have made include infrastructure improvements such as providing additional cycle hoops close to building entrances and secure cycle storage with carded entry. These were bought about by the staff bicycle user group we set up; we also became a member of Cycle Scheme. For a number of years we have looked at encouraging alternatives to car use which is also important due to a lack of parking spaces.
To encourage our staff to ride bikes instead of drive from one site to another we pay mileage for cyclists, and have set up Bike Buddies to travel with new cyclists until they become confident. We’ve also organised Dr Bike and cycle security marking sessions, and put on roadshows promoting the cycle scheme, cycle security and advice on cycling within Exeter, as well as the health benefits of cycling. Negotiating the purchase of ‘Solid Secure’ D-locks at a heavily reduced price means staff can feel secure about bringing their bikes to work.
As a result, cycling has been steadily increasing for the past few years, and the great thing is that it has it hasn’t cost much apart from some staff time to get this all in place. A lot of the infrastructure changes have been match funded by Cycle Exeter. We’ve communicated our successes for free via pay slips, global emails, our trust magazine and intranet site and onsite road shows, and people have been able to see the benefits for their health and also their finances.
We’ll continue to promote cycling and we hope that with so much help available and infrastructure in place the more people who take up cycling the more other people will follow. As a health organisation, it’s a priority for us to work in a way that’s aligned with our purpose and make sure that our staff are encouraged to cycle as much as possible – for their health and also so that the hospital and the people who work here can set a good example for the rest of the community.“
Julia Sanchez, Sustainability and Travel Officer – Devon PCT
My role was created in October 2008 and was bought about because Devon PCT wanted to make their 4,000 – strong organisation sustainable from a health and environmental point of view. As a health organisation, cycling is a great way not only to keep our staff healthy but also the general public.
My first priority was getting the Cycle to Work scheme in place, as well as touring our 21 community hospitals and six administration sites, assessing each and talking to people about cycle training and routes they could use in their local area to cycle to work. We’ve now got pool bikes in quite a few sites and are considering where to put cycle parking.
I’m in the process of setting up a Bicycle User Group which will ensure there are facilities on site promoting cycling to the public and colleagues. Cycle Exeter are helping me with this, as well as providing match funding.
I also plan on holding a Green Travel Day at our County Hall site to encourage more people to cycle. There’s going to be a Doctor Bike there and information about routes and a cycle commute challenge on the day.
We share information about cycling with our staff via posters, the intranet and email. For our patients we have information on our website and we find talking to them really helps to engage them. It’s quite easy to create positive change here because most of our staff – especially the ones ‘on the front line’ like GPs and physiotherapists – are very aware of the impacts of not taking action with their health. We’ve seen really good levels of uptake for Cycle to Work. We still feel like we’re just starting out, but so far we’re pleased with our progress!
Cycling is really important for us as it’s about setting an example to the general public. Also, the more staff who are on their bikes, the more likely they are to embody the benefits of cycling and use it as a tool that patients can use to stay fit and healthy. This works really well for us because promoting cycling is free and it’s a great preventative health measure for obesity and heart disease – both of which are really high on the health agenda right now.“
