The short version
- If your hospital doesn’t offer a prehabilitation programme, you can refer yourself to QuestPrehab before your treatment starts.1
- You fill in a short online form, and a prehabilitation expert from the team contacts you.1
- The form asks whether you’ll pay yourself or use insurance. The price is confirmed with you directly.1
Why we mention QuestPrehab
Breast Cancer Fitness has no financial relationship with QuestPrehab or any other service on this site. We mention QuestPrehab because it is used by NHS hospitals, is also open to individuals, covers exercise, nutrition, mind and sleep together, and its team has published research. We list free options too. Read how this site is funded.
First, ask your hospital
Before paying for anything, ask your breast care nurse whether your hospital offers prehab on the NHS. Some hospitals use QuestPrehab or another programme. See how to ask for prehab on the NHS and NHS prehab and rehab across the UK.
If you have private health insurance, check whether it covers prehabilitation.
How self-referral works
- Fill in the self-referral form on the QuestPrehab website. It asks for your contact details, your medical pathway (for example cancer or surgery), and whether you’re insured or paying yourself.1
- The team reviews the information you’ve given.1
- A prehabilitation expert contacts you to talk about your situation.1
- Your programme starts. In QuestPrehab programmes, a clinical team assesses you, builds a personal plan covering exercise, nutrition, mental wellbeing and sleep, and supports you through an app as the plan adapts.2
Timing
Prehab works best when there’s time before treatment, even a couple of weeks can help. If you’re interested, it’s worth referring yourself as soon as you can after diagnosis. Let the team know your treatment dates.
Questions to ask before you start
- How much does it cost, and what’s included?
- How long will the programme last before my treatment date?
- Will it continue during or after treatment?
- How will it fit with advice from my NHS team?
Use our comparison questions to weigh it up against other options.
Free alternatives
- Our prehab-at-home plan and strength exercises before treatment
- Prehab and Me, Scotland’s national prehabilitation website3
- Penny Brohn UK online sessions, including preparing for treatment
Related pages
- QuestPrehab: personalised digital prehab and rehab
- QuestPrehab Recover: self-pay cancer rehabilitation
- What is prehabilitation?
Everyone’s treatment is different, so talk to your cancer team about what is right for you.
References
- QuestPrehab. Self-referral. questprehab.com/self-referral/
- QuestPrehab. QuestPrehab Recover: personalised cancer rehabilitation. Accessed November 2026. questprehab.com/recover/
- NHS Scotland. Prehabilitation for Scotland: Prehab and Me. www.prehab.nhs.scot/