Good Boost’s digital exercise programmes are helping adults with MSK at a lower cost than physiotherapy, according to a study carried out by the University of Exeter and Global Social Prescribing Alliance.
The social enterprise currently delivers its services in more than 300 community venues across the UK, such as swimming pools and leisure centres, providing personalised, therapeutic exercise via phones or tablets. The app personalises movement and responds to real-time feedback.
It's aimed at supporting people who are living with long-term health conditions and the programme is being expanded nationally through leisure operators, local authorities and direct partnerships with Public Health teams, the NHS and Integrated Care Boards.
Studying more than 40,000 of these exercise sessions, Good Boost found that after six weeks, people showed small but significant improvements in how well they could move, how happy they felt, and their anxiety levels.
At 12-week and 26-week follow-ups, more than one third of people were experiencing less pain, while around 47 per cent achieved clinically meaningful improvement in physical function. More than 65 per cent reported a positive improvement in their condition.
Results were comparable to traditional physiotherapy but more affordable. If someone takes part in Good Boost sessions twice a week for three months, it will cost £100 to £120 – which giving a typical cost saving of £168 per person, when compared to the cost of NHS physiotherapy. In addition, patients often have to wait longer than 14 weeks for NHS physiotherapy appointments.
Ben Wilkins, CEO of Good Boost, says: “The study demonstrated that improvements individuals are making through our digital exercise programmes are very similar to the outcomes from face-to-face physiotherapy.
“The evidence shows us that our programmes are safe, accessible and a valuable tool in managing long-term joint and muscle conditions and also scalable with the potential to achieve a significant cost saving to the NHS.
“This could be genuinely transformative for the future of musculoskeletal care in the UK and we need to start reimagining community spaces as hubs for preventative healthcare.”
The University of Exeter established that its programme delivers £2,000 in social value per participant. The average cost for every person taking part is £129 and for every £1 of cost, Good Boost delivers £16.50 in social value. That’s approximately more than 11 times more cost-effective than the expected cost of delivering similar NHS programmes.
Lifestyle and physical activity lead, Dr Hussain Al-Zubaidi – who will be speaking at this year’s HCM Summit – says: “These findings highlight the huge potential of digitally-enabled, personalised physical activity to support people living with long-term musculoskeletal conditions.
“By combining evidence-based movement with community delivery, programmes like Good Boost can improve outcomes, widen access, and reduce pressure on NHS services. This is exactly the kind of prevention-focused, neighbourhood health approach the NHS urgently needs.”
