Active Together Programme
What is the Active Together Programme?
The Active Together Programme supports you to be as physically and mentally fit as possible before, during and after your cancer treatment.
Active Together offers support for people following a cancer diagnosis. Delivered by a team of specialists, the service helps patients prepare for and recover from cancer treatment.
Being physically active before, during and after cancer treatment is safe and can be really beneficial, helping reduce common side effects such as anxiety and tiredness. People who exercise before surgery may also experience fewer complications and have a quicker recovery time. After treatment, exercise can help you to get well and stay well. We work alongside our leisure partners at Aspire and Kirklees Active Leisure (KAL) to provide physical activity sessions in the most appropriate/convenient location for our patients.
Both cancer and its treatment can impact your appetite, the way you eat and the way you view food. Evidence suggests that eating well before, during and after your cancer treatment can help to optimise energy levels and help you feel better. It can help to cope better with the side effects of treatment and help your body to recover.
Looking after your wellbeing is important. A cancer diagnosis can have a big impact on your mental and emotional health. Understanding some of the emotions you are experiencing and having strategies to help you manage these emotions can be helpful.
The first step is for patients to have an in-depth assessment with one of our team when we will assess and discuss with patients how we can best support them in providing personalised physical activity, dietetic and wellbeing support based on their individual needs. The programme supports patients throughout their cancer journey to help optimise health before, during and after treatment.
Meet the team
- Amy Roden - Active Together Programme Manager
- Julie Payne - Active Together Programme Co-ordinator
- Janine Quinn - Active Together Administrator
- Cora Mainprize - Active Together Senior Specialist Physiotherapist
- Jennifer Harrison - Active Together Senior Physiotherapist
- Alison Jackson - Active Together Technical Instructor
- Dr Nina Watson - Active Together Senior Clinical Psychologist
- Charis Dutton - Active Together Specialist Dietician
- Dr Oliver Ross Smith - Consultant Anaesthetist, Active Together Clinical Lead
- Dr Nicole Moll - Consultant Anaesthetist, Active Together Clinical Lead
- Ian Smales - Active Together Cancer Exercise Specialist/Co-ordinator, Wakefield Council
- Gregg Walker - Active Together Cancer Exercise Specialist, Wakefield Council
- Alex Knibbs - Active Together Cancer Exercise Specialist/Co-ordinator, Kirklees Active Leisure
- Tanya Fisher - Active Together Cancer Exercise Specialist, Kirklees Active Leisure
How to refer
Referrals into the programme can be made by health professionals only. This must be upon diagnosis and only for people undergoing curative intent cancer treatment. This programme currently accepts referrals from the following tumour groups:
- Colorectal
- Lung
- Head and neck
Physical activity
Before taking part in any exercise, make sure you have:
- Had something to eat and drink recently.
- Taken any medications you require.
- Any inhalers or GTN sprays close by.
- Your effort scale close by (see link below).
- A clear space, free from trip hazards.
- A phone nearby in case of accident or someone in the house to help if needed.
Do not exercise if you feel unable to or if you have been advised not to by a medical professional. Yorkshire Cancer Research cannot accept any responsibility for injury that arises as a result of following this guidance.
Useful links
Dietetics
- Yorkshire Cancer Research Active Together Programme - nutritional advice
- Eating well advice for patients and carers factsheet
- Food fact sheet: portion sizes
- Food fact sheet: healthy eating
- Getting ready for treatment factsheet
- Managing mouth problems
- Managing nausea
- Managing loss of appetite
- Managing taste changes
- Managing weight loss
- Nourishing drinks and snacks booklet
- Eating well whilst living with cancer workshop video
- Healthy eating and cancer
- Eating problems and cancer
Wellbeing
- Yorkshire Cancer Research Active Together Programme - your wellbeing
- Welcome and introduction - Yorkshire Cancer Research
- Psychological wellbeing when living with cancer
- Coping strategies
- Imagery and breathing exercises
- Self compassion
- Wellbeing workbook for managing difficult emotions
- 54321 wellbeing activity
- Five finger breath activity
- Managing fatigue booklet
- How are you feeling? The emotional effects of cancer
- Coping with fatigue (tiredness)
- Macmillan Information and Support Centre
- The cancer and palliative care psychology service