Enabling better outcomes across the UK’s largest Exercise Referral Scheme
15 July 2026
By Emily
For over 20 years, the Wales National Exercise Referral Scheme (NERS) has successfully bridged the gap between clinical healthcare and community wellness. However, managing complex, multi-agency health pathways across the country, using outdated processes was holding the service back. By partnering with Theseus, NERS has transformed its workflows, eliminated admin bottlenecks, and scaled referral rates to historic highs.
The challenge: Fragmented systems and growing admin pressure
NERS is a Welsh Government-funded health intervention designed to provide tailored, supervised physical activity programmes for individuals aged 16 and over living with or at risk of developing chronic health conditions. Delivered in partnership by Public Health Wales, Local Authority leisure services, and Local Health Boards, the scheme has grown from a standard prevention initiative into a complex clinical framework managing 12 distinct, condition-based pathways.
Historically, referrals into NERS were handled via fragmented, analogue methods. Because there was no central, standardised case management system, local teams faced a severe admin burden. Staff spent hours manually entering, triaging, and tracking data. This limited their capacity to clear waiting lists and increased risks around data protection, service delays, and missed appointments.
The solution: Streamlined, integrated case management with Theseus
To establish clinical consistency and scale their pathways, Public Health Wales chose Theseus as their digital partner.
Theseus transformed how NERS operates, by integrating directly with primary care GP systems via EMIS. It also provided a secure, authenticated portal for hospital-based clinical teams. This allowed healthcare professionals to securely submit and route referrals with a single click. To support exercise professionals working directly in the community, the mobile worker portal allows them to securely update client progress, log attendance, and manage caseloads directly from mobile devices.
The results: Unlocking capacity for exercise referral schemes
The digital transformation has allowed NERS to scale sustainably while maintaining rigorous data protection and clinical standards across 12 pathways. By replacing hours of manual paperwork with automated workflows, local teams have been freed to focus on direct client care. This has helped clear waiting lists, improving service quality, and guide clients safely toward long-term positive outcomes.
Since the system went live, Theseus has supported NERS in achieving the highest exercise referral scheme rates in its 20-year history, securely processing over 78,000 electronic referrals and enabling the structured discharge of more than 55,000 clients.
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To find out more about how theseus is enabling exercise referral scheme providers to manage their service and improve access and outcomes, please contact us.