Offer cancer patients exercise on NHS, major charity urges

The charity says making physical activity available to patients would lead to them needing less care from doctors and nurses, and save the NHS millions of pounds a year. Photograph: OR Images/Getty Images

Cancer patients should be offered yoga, tai chi and Nordic walking as part of their NHS care to boost their chances of survival and stop tumours returning, a major charity has said.

Maggie’s, which operates 27 cancer support centres across the UK, is urging NHS bosses to “embed” exercise into the care offered to the 386,000 Britons diagnosed with the disease every year.