Co-locating frailty intervention activities and general practice: experiences and perceptions of participants and delivery partners

Background Physical activity interventions targeting frailty improve health in later life. Integrating these with Primary Care services may enhance perceptions and outcomes of delivery. Every Move Matters (EMM) is an 8-week group-based frailty intervention aimed at improving physical ability, social connection, and well-being. Recruitment is embedded within primary care pathways. EMM is delivered by external partners within or near General Practice venues.

Aim To explore the experiences and perceptions of participants, intervention providers, and primary care staff involved in delivering the EMM frailty intervention, with a focus on the impact of its co-location within or near general practice settings.

Design & setting A rapid inductive qualitative evaluation of the EMM intervention co-located with primary care services.

Method Semi-structured interviews were conducted with nine EMM attendees, six primary care staff and three staff members from the activity provider organisation. Transcripts were analysed thematically.

Results Three themes were developed: straightforward implementation and adaptation; effectiveness; and buoyant atmosphere. EMM’s location within primary care reassured attendees and fostered enthusiasm and support from primary care staff, promoting recruitment and feelings of pride. A dedicated embedded postholder with access to patient records could enhance recruitment.

Conclusion Implementing co-located interventions in collaboration with primary care is possible and has benefits for intervention attendees, delivery staff and primary care practitioners. The potential to embed other interventions within primary care settings could be explored. Closer collaboration with primary care may promote access to data for evaluation of the longer-term benefits and sustainability of a range of interventions.