The BEPOP project is a collaborative initiative run by the British Geriatrics Society, AGILE (the professional network for physiotherapy staff working with older people) and the AGE Research group at Newcastle University, which is part of the Ageing, Sarcopenia and Multimorbidity research theme based at the National Institute for Health Research Newcastle Biomedical Research Centre (NIHR Newcastle BRC).
This innovative project involved asking NHS physiotherapy services providing community-based exercise for older people, to share details of the exercise interventions they use with their patients. This work allowed practitioners to better understand which elements of their exercise programmes are associated with improved patient outcomes. This intelligence has led to a new set of recommendations for guiding service improvement. Authors of the paper include Lorna Caulfield, Susanne Arnold, Sarah De Biase, Charlotte Buckland, Philip Heslop, Christopher Hurst, Avan A. Sayer, Dawn A. Skelton, and Miles D. Witham.
Charlotte, a member of the BEPOP steering group, recently completed a NIHR Newcastle BRC funded research internship focusing on sarcopenia (the loss of muscle mass and strength). Charlotte reported that: This project supports physiotherapy services to improve sarcopenia care with better assessment, diagnosis, and delivery of effective exercise, offering tangible benefits for patients and services.
Charlotte, a member of the BEPOP steering group, recently completed a NIHR Newcastle BRC funded research internship focusing on sarcopenia (the loss of muscle mass and strength). Charlotte reported that:
This project supports physiotherapy services to improve sarcopenia care with better assessment, diagnosis, and delivery of effective exercise, offering tangible benefits for patients and services.
Jennie Bailey, Team Lead for the Belsay Day Unit Physiotherapy Service at Newcastle Hospitals, a participating site in the project, commented that ‘…contributing to the BEPOP project was a valuable learning experience; it has led us to reflect on our clinical practice and make local improvements with sarcopenia diagnosis and exercise progression.'
Further findings from the BEPOP project will be presented at this year’s Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP) conference in October, see CSP annual conference | The Chartered Society of Physiotherapy.
The BEPOP team are encouraging anyone interested in joining the next wave of the project to email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or visit www.bepop.org.uk for further details.
The full paper
About Charlotte’s internship