Quality Assured Education and Training for Exercise Professionals Working with Chronic Conditions

TITLE: Quality Assured Education and Training for Exercise Professionals Working with Chronic Conditions
PROJECT STATUS: Competency, Qualification and Accreditation Framework formally launched on 7th February 2025;
Project to apply the framework in practice ongoing.

Competency, Qualification and Accreditation Framework for LTC Exercise Instructors

In 2021, the PACC Core Stakeholders undertook a short but comprehensive consultation process, designed to deepen understanding of the barriers limiting the opportunities of people with chronic conditions from participating in regular, appropriate and accessible physical activity. Participants in the consultation included individuals living with chronic conditions, health and social care professionals and community-based physical activity providers.

Consultations highlighted that, though awareness of the physical activity needs of people living with chronic conditions was growing within the fitness sector, it was acknowledged widely that there remained knowledge gaps and skill deficiencies in the sector. It was recommended that there was a significant need to upskill locally-based fitness instructors/coaches in working with people with long-term health conditions, particularly in areas such as understanding levels of safety, how far to push participants, etc.

In parallel, health and social care practitioners expressed the desire to refer patients onward to physical activity services and programmes. It was noted consistently however that, for a medical practitioner to refer a patient to a physical activity programme or provider, s/he would have to be confident in the knowledge and capacity of the provider to cater safely to the needs of the patient.

Against that backdrop, PACC commissioned a project to develop a nationally agreed standardisation education and accreditation framework for exercise professionals working with people with long-term conditions. This project was enabled by funding received from the Dormant Accounts Innovation Fund, via Sport Ireland; the HSE and County Carlow Sports Partnership. A research team from South East Technological University (SETU), comprising Prof. Michael Harrison, Dr. Bróna Kehoe and Dr. Clare Lodge, was awarded the tender to develop this framework. The project was overseen by a multi-stakeholder steering group, comprising representatives from physical activity, health and academic backgrounds.

The SETU research team led an extensive research, consultation and planning process that resulted in the development and production of an accreditation framework. The framework document sets out the occupational competencies, qualification standards and accreditation processes to guide standardisation of the upskilling and certification of exercise professionals seeking to specialise in working with people living with chronic conditions.

Though the accreditation framework is an important development in its own right, its primary function is to contribute to a skilled workforce of physical activity professionals that has both the knowledge and capacity to cater to the physical activity needs of people living with long-term health conditions.

In addition, to this wider educational framework, an awareness training package has been created to increase awareness of chronic conditions, and the role of physical activity in their management, within the wider physical activity sector in Ireland.

Both documents are accessible ….