Transforming gyms into community MSK hubs: mobilising the UK leisure sector to deliver inclusive, accessible, personalised and gamified health services for Older Adults with MSK conditions

Good Boost is a rapidly growing UK SME delivering pioneering medical technology. Combined with the collaboration, expertise, and network access of national MSK organisations (Versus Arthritis, Arthritis Action) and the leisure sector trade body (UKactive), the project consortium's market-demand-led and co-designed solution will transform community gyms and leisure centres into 'MSK hubs'. This has the potential to save the NHS \>£200m (\>87x ROI) by 2030\.

**Unmet Need**

Musculoskeletal disorders (MSKDs) disproportionately affect older adults, with almost 2/3rd of the 20.3m people with MSKDs aged 55+. They are the primary cause of disability and represent \>£90bn health and economic cost. They disproportionately impact ethnic minorities and low-income households, creating deep health inequalities. With 5.8m people on waiting lists and demand outstripping NHS resources; MSK interventions are needed that do not depend on Physiotherapists and traditional NHS services. Furthermore, to be effective, they must be easily accessible and co-designed to meet older adults' needs.

**Solution**

Extensive problem understanding and co-design with older adults, leisure operators and health care professionals has highlighted there is no single product or service which can address the three critical elements needed:

* **Place**: creating visibility and credibility between leisure and health for older adult MSKD referral pathways.
* **Product**: validated AI-technology to personalise MSKD rehabilitation and holistic wellbeing services adapted to every older adult user, both in-venue and virtually.
* **People**: training leisure staff and volunteers the skills to offer holistic wellbeing services in community venues, combined with the expertise of arthritis charities evidence-based self-management services, both in-venue and virtually.

This project co-designs, develops, evaluates and validates a commercially scalable solution to leverage 7,000+ community leisure venues to deliver high-quality, evidence-based MSKD services tailored for older adults, integrated into primary care. This suite of personalised services will promote healthy ageing with fewer years lived in disability.

**Market opportunity**

There is no comparative integrated solution on the market. Leveraging the consortium's influence, market access and insight creates a highly competitive commercial product for the 200k+ leisure venues globally, supporting the 1.7bn MSKD patients. The UK and global addressable/serviceable markets are £43.9m/£1.2bn and £26.4m/£458.8m respectively.

**Objectives**

This industrial research project aims to complete product co-production, development, testing and research to achieve public roll-out and commercialisation immediately post-project. Thereby:

* better utilising existing community assets;
* creating health, social care and wider economic benefit;
* enabling older adults to live healthy, happier and more independent lives;
* through an accessible and affordable model that reduces health inequalities.