NERS new patient management system
Referrals to NERS are made via the Theseus referral portal. The Theseus portal manages patients in a single system from the point of referral all the way through to completing and exiting NERS. It is an easier and more secure way for health professionals to refer to NERS and there is no need to download documents or post or email forms. At the click of a button the e-referral is sent to the local NERS team.
The Theseus portal brings many benefits including:
- Reducing patient management times and costs
- Increasing the safety and security of patient data
- Improving feedback and reporting for NERS
- Being able to demonstrate the effectiveness and impact of the scheme locally, regionally, and nationally.
- Integrating the NERS e-referral form within the EMIS system.
National Exercise Referral Scheme (NERS) – Privacy Notice
The purpose of this notice is to inform you of why and how Public Health Wales (PHW) will process your personal data when you take part in the National Exercise Referral Scheme (NERS).
NERS is a chronic condition prevention and management programme which aims to improve the health and well-being of sedentary and inactive adults who are at risk of developing a chronic condition or who have an existing chronic condition.
It provides a 16-week programme of physical activity to individuals referred by NHS registered health professionals, using behaviour change techniques, to embed positive physical activity habits.
Patients who are referred to NERS, and who are eligible to take part, are invited to their local leisure centre for an initial assessment with a qualified exercise referral professional. They are offered a tailored, supervised exercise programme for up to 16 weeks, and their progress is reviewed at key points.
The NERS Programme is overseen by PHW and delivered locally by a local NERS team based in one of the following, depending on the area: Local Authorities, Leisure Trusts or Health Boards. The referral and programme participation data for each patient taking part are collected and held within the NERS Theseus referral and patient administration system. Theseus is developed, maintained and hosted by Cyber Media Solutions Ltd on behalf of PHW.
The local NERS teams will use your personal data to provide the service that you have signed up to. PHW will also process your personal data to evaluate the scheme and to support service improvements. Your personal data will be held for a maximum of 8 years and after this period your data will be anonymised. Anonymised data will also be submitted twice a year to the Secure Anonymised Information Linkage Databank (SAIL Databank) system to be used for research and evaluation purposes. Further details about SAIL can be found here: Secure Anonymised Information Linkage Databank (SAIL Databank) – Population Data Science (swan.ac.uk)
For a copy of the PHW Privacy Notice please access the following: Privacy Notice – Public Health Wales (nhs.wales)
Frequently asked questions – Primary care
How do I refer to NERS?
Referrals can be made by a registered NHS health professional (usually a GP, Practice Nurse or a condition specific Physiotherapist/Nurse) who will have access to the full patient record and can interpret the NERS eligibility criteria.
Referrals to NERS can only be made by completing the e-referral form on the Theseus portal.
E referral forms are integrated into the GP practice patient record for EMIS Users. Please see the EMIS activation and user guides for further information.
Can I easily access the NERS e-referral portal?
For EMIS users, the Theseus portal can be accessed via your EMIS patient record. If you need the Theseus portal activated on your system, please email [email protected]
Can any practice staff send a referral in my GP surgery?
All NHS-registered Health Professionals are able to refer appropriate patients that meet the referral criteria to NERS. All practice staff can use the NERS Theseus e-referral system if logged into EMIS The referral form also has a ‘save in progress’ function if you need to start and pause the completion of the form.
How will I know what health conditions can be referred in my area?
Theseus provides guidance on which condition-related pathways are available in each local authority area.
Theseus also shows the inclusion and exclusion criteria for each condition.
Does the Theseus portal improve the safety of sending patient records/data?
The Theseus portal is fully compliant with NHS Wales information security standards and significantly increases the data security of patient records from the previous system of paper-based referrals.
Can a GP practice receive feedback on patient referrals?
Practice staff will be notified through the Theseus portal if the referral has been accepted or declined, together with the reasons for any declines.
Local NERS teams can generate reports from the Theseus portal to provide updates on patients’ progress.
Can I get help in using the system?
Help can be accessed via user-videos in the Theseus training portal. In addition, any issues with the system can be reported to [email protected]
Any issues or glitches will then be investigated and hopefully resolved.
Frequently Asked Questions – Secondary Care
How do I refer to NERS?
Referrals can be made by a registered NHS health professional (usually a GP, Practice Nurse or a condition specific Physiotherapist/Nurse) who will have access to the full patient record and can interpret the NERS eligibility criteria.
Referrals to all NERS condition-specific pathways are made by completing the e-referral form on the Theseus portal.
This new system saves time as there is no need to download documents or post/email forms.
Can I easily access the new NERS e-referral portal?
Yes, it is easy. The NERS e-referral form on the Theseus portal can be accessed on the following link.
Once a referral is submitted, it then reaches the relevant local NERS team to take action.
Can any Secondary care/Community settings staff send a referral?
All NHS-registered Health Professionals can refer eligible patients who meet the referral criteria to NERS via the Theseus portal.
Do I need to create an account to refer someone?
No – referrals can be sent via the Theseus portal weblink and it is not necessary to create a Theseus account.
If the referral is declined the local NERS team will make contact via email/phone.
Creating a Theseus portal account will enable referrers to attach supporting documents to a referral or to view whether referrals have been accepted or declined.
To create a Theseus account, please contact your local NERS Coordinator.
How will I know what health conditions can be referred in my area?
Theseus provides guidance on which condition-related pathways are available in each local authority area.
Theseus also shows the inclusion and exclusion criteria for each condition.
Does the portal improve safety of sending patient records?
The Theseus portal is fully compliant with NHS Wales information security standards and it significantly increases the data security of patient records from the previous system of paper-based referrals.
