Ayrshire-based GP, Dr Emma Lunan has been appointed as chair of Movement for Health, a coalition group of Scotland’s leading health charities with the mission of supporting patients with long term health conditions to become more physically active.

Her appointment follows a study which has found more than one million people in Scotland are living with health conditions such as arthritis and heart disease.

Yet 46 per cent of these people are inactive – a figure double that of the general population.

Dr Lunan, who is based in Ayr, has dedicated her career to preventative care and physical activity and is also lead medic for Scotland’s National Women’s football team.

She prescribes Scots with weekly exercise and has now been appointed as the new chair of a charitable coalition in order to tackle and prevent long term health problems.

Dr Lunan said: “I was really excited when I was offered the role of Chair of Movement for Health.

“I really feel we can make a difference especially at the moment when there’s been a lot of discussion about the poor physical activity levels in Scotland.

“I’m feeling very optimistic, despite the obvious challenges brought on by the pandemic.

“This is a fantastic opportunity, and the coalition is a very collaborative group – everyone works together to champion physical activity in different guises.

“A lot of the time patients with long-term conditions feel they can’t exercise because it might affect the problems they currently have and make it worse, when in reality it can actually improve their conditions.”