Evaluating the adaptation of delivery of the National Exercise Referral Scheme (NERS) to a virtual platform as a result of COVID-19

Aim To examine the impact of using face-to-face or remote modes of delivery for NERS in order to support future decision making about programme implementation. Research questions 1 What is the effect on service user uptake of offering either the face-to-face or remote programme? 2 What is the effect on service user engagement of delivering either face-to-face or remote exercise sessions? 3 What is the effect on service user retention of delivering either the face-to-face or remote programme (from 4+ weeks)? 4 What are the facilitators and barriers to uptake, engagement and retention for the standard and remote programme? 5 What is the effect on health and wellbeing outcomes of delivering either the face-to-face or remote programme (from 4+ weeks)? 6 What do exercise referral professionals perceive as the facilitators and barriers to delivering the standard and remote programme? 7 Do exercise referral professionals perceive that mode of delivery influences their ability to deliver the programme? 8 What are the expected resources and corresponding costs of delivering core parts of the programme, and do they differ for face-to-face and remote delivery? Study design overview This is a mixed methods study. Research questions will be answered using existing, routinely collected monitoring and evaluation data collected by the NERS programme, and additional qualitative data. The work will be organised across four workstreams as follows: Workstream 1: Qualitative process evaluation with service providers Workstream 2: Qualitative process evaluation with service users Workstream 3: Quantitative outcome and health economic analysis Workstream 4: Data synthesis and dissemination