Health Disability Activity Pathway
Developing a partnership between health and physical activity (including sport)
The Health Disability Activity Pathway (HDAP) began as a pilot collaboration between Disability Sport Wales, NHS Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board, and local authority partners in 2014. The pathway was expanded to Hywel Dda Health Board in 2019, and nationwide in 2022.
The partnership was established to create enhanced awareness, understanding and greater coherence between the health sector and sport network in Wales, through a planned programme of education and up-skilling of professionals within both areas, so as to better enable a patient pathway which illustrates and opens opportunities for disabled people to get involved with physical activity, including sport.
How the Pathway works:
Figure 1: Diagram of the Health Disabilty Activity Pathway
Step one: Patient contact with Healthcare Professional
then either:
- The patient and their healthcare professional complete the Health Disability Activity Pathway Signposting Form or;
- The patient is referred to a national exercise referral scheme (NERS). After the patient completes 4-16 weeks of a NERS programme, the patient and healthcare professional can complete the signposting form.
The patient is signposted to a local sport development team, who will contact the patient of their parent/guardian to discuss options available.
This will lead to either:
- the patient being signposted into suitable local clubs and sessions, and/or;
- the patient being signposted to get a Leisure Card (or equivalent) which supports accessing local leisure facilities
Project acheivements
Video: Patient Stories, first published by Disability Sport Wales and NHS Wales BCUHB in 2016.
Video: Healthcare Professionals' Stories, first published by Disability Sport Wales and NHS Wales BCUHB in 2016.
