Gym and sports equipment, Carleton Clinic
In June 2023, the Trust’s adult male acute ward in North Cumbria received funding from SHINE for gym and exercise equipment.
Equipment received included basketballs and a basketball hoop, weights and kettlebells, football equipment and a 4-player badminton set.
“Quite often patients feel that exercise can be a release for agitation and can make a healthy and safe way to vent frustrations and anxiety,” says Janine Lucock, Activity Facilitator. The idea for exercise equipment on the ward arose from patients who expressed experiencing weight gain as a side effect of antipsychotic medication, which can cause crippling body image issues and discourage patients from using their medication.
This can lead to patients not being well enough to facilitate leave to gyms in the town. Having exercise equipment on the ward would relieve the stress that patients have with medication side effects. It will also be a good way for patients and staff to come together in the games courtyard to form rapport and a healthy peer group, improving the ward environment.
