5 Minutes With… Nuffield Heath and their new Cancer Activity Programme

26 November 2025 — jessica-bailey

We spoke with Vicky Fitzgerald, Health Improvement Lead at Nuffield Health, about their new Cancer Activity Programme – a lifestyle-based intervention designed to support men with prostate cancer undergoing androgen deprivation therapy.

The programme is currently available, via referral, through healthcare professionals at Surrey & Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust, University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust, and Nuffield Health Derby Hospital. The team hope to add more sites soon, and also to expand the programme to people with breast and bowel cancer in the near future.

Tell us about your organisation? 

Nuffield Heath is the UK’s largest healthcare charity and our purpose is to build a healthier nation. We have a network of Fitness & Wellbeing centres and hospitals across the UK.

What makes us truly different is our commitment to supporting local communities and the NHS through our unique structured exercise programmes which have been offered since 2018. These free programmes support people with long-term conditions such as joint pain, breathlessness and cancer to improve their quality of life.

We want to address unmet health needs in local communities by widening access to our services and experts and resources, giving more people the tools to live a healthy life.

By building on the education, research, and data from our programmes, we’re constantly forming the evidence base for a holistic approach to healthcare that helps prevent long-term illness in the future.

What services do you offer people living with or affected by cancer?

In August 2025, we launched the Cancer Activity Programme, a lifestyle-based intervention to support men with prostate cancer undergoing androgen deprivation therapy incorporate physical activity into their day to day life.

The programme is built upon the learnings from the STAMINA NIHR funded clinical trial led by Sheffield Hallam University, Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust and Nuffield Health – the largest clinical study of its kind which looked to demonstrate that supervised exercise, as recommended by NICE guidance, could successfully be embedded into the NHS prostate cancer care pathways.

Together, Nuffield Health and Sheffield Hallam University aim to extend this ground-breaking work to help more people benefit from exercise during cancer treatment.

Who are your services aimed at supporting? 

We are currently offering the Cancer Activity Programme to patients with prostate cancer undergoing androgen deprivation therapy.

This programme is designed to improve quality of life for people undergoing cancer treatment through an expert-led, supervised exercise programme, while supporting lasting behaviour change to help those living with cancer feel confident exercising independently.

It is based around NICE guidelines which state that people who are starting or having androgen deprivation therapy should receive supervised resistance and aerobic exercise at least twice a week for 12 weeks to reduce fatigue and improve quality of life.

We will be expanding this to help patients with breast and bowel cancer in the near future too.

How do you cater for people with specific needs? 

We treat every participant as an individual and will work with them to make the programme accessible. The personalised exercise prescription is tailored to the individual by the Rehabilitation Specialists, taking into account not only capability and mobility but also preference. Our Fitness & Wellbeing Centres aim to provide an environment suitable for individuals with mobility issues, for example easy access to swimming pools and adaptable cardio equipment.

What’s the most rewarding thing about the work you do?

Seeing the profound impact our free programmes can have on someone’s life is incredibly rewarding. Physical activity is a powerful tool, not just for improving fitness, but for transforming confidence, mindset, and overall wellbeing. Supporting individuals as they overcome barriers or fears around exercise, and watching them grow stronger in every sense, is what makes the work we do so meaningful. Knowing that these programmes can enhance someone’s quality of life, helping them feel healthier, happier, and more empowered, fulfils our purpose to build a healthier nation.

What would you say to those who are considering getting in touch with you but are nervous or apprehensive?

We understand that taking the first step into something new, especially a gym environment, can feel daunting. That’s why we’re committed to making you feel genuinely welcomed and at ease from day one. Our person-centred, tailored approach is designed to support you in overcoming any initial apprehension, ensuring your experience is both comfortable and empowering. You’ll also be joining a community of individuals who are on a similar journey, which helps foster a strong sense of belonging and mutual encouragement.

Do you have testimonials from people that have used your services?

Yes – see below:

Can you tell us about your team? 

Our Social Impact team is proud to be working in close partnership with Sheffield Hallam University to design and deliver the Cancer Activity Programme. Nuffield Health Programme Managers, Vicky and Conor, lead the initiative alongside Sophie, Said and Liam from Sheffield Hallam, combining academic insight with clinical expertise and delivery knowledge to shape a truly impactful service.

This is a cross-functional effort that draws on the strengths of many teams across Nuffield Health. From researching academic literature to inform key decisions, ensuring safety through our clinical working groups, delivering training in collaboration with the Nuffield Health Learning Foundation to analysing data to measure outcomes, every aspect is carefully considered. We also work closely with our Marketing and Technology colleagues to create engaging promotional materials and user-friendly digital platforms that help raise awareness and accessibility.

At the heart of the programme are our Rehabilitation Specialists. These highly trained professionals operate within multidisciplinary teams and deliver safe, structured exercise therapy. Their enhanced training allows them to bridge the gap between clinical care and community support, ensuring participants receive personalised, effective guidance throughout their journey.

Together, our team brings passion, expertise, and a shared commitment to improving lives through movement, connection, and care.

What are the values of your organisation?

Connected, aspirational, responsive and ethical.

And finally, how are you funded and what can people do to support you if they would like to? 

Nuffield Health is the UK’s largest healthcare charity. As a trading charity, we invest all our revenue back into our purpose to build a healthier nation. With our purpose at the heart of everything we do, we always focus on the wider impact of our actions on our people, on those who benefit from our free programmes, and on local communities.

We are always looking for partners that can help us to advance our mission – whether this be through community delivery, match-funding or commissioning our services to help us reach more people.

You can read more about the Cancer Activity Programme on Nuffield Health’s site here. To find out more about their gyms, hospitals and other services, you can visit their homepage here. To find further cancer services and support in your area, please search on Cancer Care Map’s homepage using your postcode. Consult your cancer team or GP before making any lifestyle changes. Some exercise programmes may not be suitable alongside certain cancer treatments.