TheUK'slargestannualtrade eventdedicatedtophysical activity,healthandperformance.
“It’s a whole systems approach that aims to help people make healthier life choices through understanding their context and their needs. What can we do in partnership?” (p24)
n exciting six years lie ahead for CIMSPA, its members and the sector through the new organisational strategy, covering the sector until 2030.
‘Releasing the Power of our Profession’ is a well-designed series of jolts to the industry system that will further professionalise our workforce and highlight their value to the UK – as well as adding value to this often-overlooked resource.
Our News story on page 6 highlights key points of the strategy for a quick introduction to this 56-page document, which you will
want to explore in its full depth at your leisure.
Let me introduce you to an absolute marvel of a West Yorkshire professional who is all about changing an approach to health from the inside out.
The terrific Emmerline Irving operates in a wide geographic area, a set of communities that have not had many of the financial benefits of other parts of the UK and where experiences of trauma are embedded in much of the population.
Learn about how she and others are grappling with local economic hardship and other factors to build a
healthier population, from page 22.
There’s lots of ‘deep diving’ called for in this issue of S&PA Professional We hope you enjoy it.
By DeeDee Doke
A new CIMSPA strategy unveiled in February has set out a path to securing greater recognition and support for the sport and physical activity workforce.
‘Releasing the Power of our Profession’ outlines six system interventions designed to deliver “the individual and collective recognition that the sport and physical activity sector workforce needs and deserves”. The strategy looks at years 2024 to 2030.
“Our profession is consistently striving for greater recognition,” the foreword says and further elaborates:
● Recognition of their status as qualified, experienced professionals who have an immense impact on health and wellbeing through high-quality practice and continuous professional development (CPD)
● Recognition of how the value of their work extends beyond narrow perceptions and positively impacts lives and communities
● Recognition of how their experience and commitment to ethical safe practice and engagement makes them distinct.
The strategy document acknowledges that the current system for the recruiting, training, support and retention of the workforce is “not working efficiently”. Neither, it notes, is the system delivering “the education products and skills our employers and workforce need – supply and demand are not in balance”. Finally, it contends that the system “misalignments” are preventing the sector from “realising the full potential” of its workforce.
The six system interventions through
which professional recognition will occur are:
● UK sport and physical activity skills observatory: Leading a new venture for the sector
● National Training Academy/ education eco system: Harnessing recent skills legislation to increase the positive impact of our quality-assured education delivery ecosystem
● Local skills plans/local skills delivery: Local skills plans success through local delivery. Brokering supply and demand (see p22 for our cover profile, which explores links between local health and wellbeing priorities and physical activity.)
● Workforce governance: Ensuring a professional, well-governed sport and activity workforce delivering
safe and high-quality participation opportunities for all
● Business support hub: Enhancing business resilience and success for sector enterprises with a focus on smaller employers and those in a start-up phase
● Careers support: Continually improve recruitment, training, retention and support of a diverse and inclusive workforce
CIMSPA, the document says, has been given a mandate by the sport and physical activity sector to “intervene and improve the system”. With its chartered status, “we are the body best placed to do this”.
For further information regarding CIMSPA’s new strategy, visit https://www.cimspa.co.uk/aboutcimspa/cimspa-strategy/
The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has ordered a public service provider and seven associated community leisure trusts to stop using facial recognition technology (FRT) and fingerprint scanning to monitor employee attendance.
In a press statement, the ICO said that employees were not offered a clear alternative to having their faces and fingerprints scanned to clock in and out of the workplace.
The ICO has issued enforcement notices instructing the organisations named to stop all processing of biometric data for monitoring employees’ attendance at work, as well as to destroy all biometric data that they are not legally obliged to retain, the statement said.
guidance for businesses on processing biometric data lawfully.
John Edwards, UK information commissioner, said: “Biometric data is wholly unique to a person so the risks of harm in the event of inaccuracies or a security breach are much greater – you can’t reset someone’s face or fingerprint like you can reset a password.”
“This must be done within three months of the enforcement notices being issued,” said the ICO.
The warning comes as the organisation published on 23 February 2024 new
Edwards added that organisations “didn’t fully consider the risks before introducing biometric technology to monitor staff attendance, prioritising business interests over its employees’ privacy. There is no clear way for staff to opt out, increasing the power imbalance in the workplace and putting people in a position where they feel like they have to hand over their biometric data to work there”. New guidance for all organisations considering using biometrics outlines how firms can comply with data protection law when using biometric data to identify people.
Following last issue’s interview with leadership and mindset specialist, Catherine Baker, author of Stayingthe Distance, we are pleased to launch the first of four articles focusing on leadership. In her first piece, Catherine explores the key factors behind sustained motivation for leaders and their teams. Highlighting the Three Ps – Process, Purpose and Perspective –Baker contends that focusing on the journey, understanding a higher purpose and maintaining a balanced perspective are crucial for long-term motivation (p14).
On the theme of leadership, three respected leaders from our sector look back on the transformative journey of our chartered institute as they step down from their long-serving CIMSPA trustee roles. It’s easy to forget just how far we have come as an organisation since gaining chartered status in 2012. CIMSPA plays an ever more critical role in elevating professional standards, driving greater recognition for sport and physical activity professionals and ensuring safe, high quality experiences for our customers. These esteemed leaders celebrate the evolution of CIMSPA and their hopes for the future (p10).
Finally, we are excited to share our collaboration with Public Health Scotland on the inaugural physical activity referral standards. Recognising the pivotal role of a skilled workforce in ensuring consistency, quality and accessibility of schemes across Scotland, the new standards (p16) recommend CIMSPAapproved qualifications for physical activity providers involved in exercise referral – a real step in the right direction.
West Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership boss Emmerline Irving has called on the sport and physical activity sector to allow people to “thrive and not just survive” in their local communities at a conference in February.
She was speaking on a panel with the topic ‘The NHS and the fitness and leisure sector: what do we need from each other?’ at Active Uprising, ukactive’s flagship event.
Held at the QEII Exhibition Centre in Westminster at the start of February, the panel was chaired by Labour MP Kim Leadbeater, no stranger to the fitness industry herself, having worked as a personal trainer and group exercise instructor before entering politics.
Speakers included Charlotte OsbornForde, CEO, National Academy for Social Prescribing (NASP); Ben Beevers, group development director, Everyone Active; and Dr Davina Deniszczyc, charity director, medical director,
responsible officer, Nuffield Health.
Also speaking on the panel alongside Irving was George MacGinnis, healthy ageing challenge director at UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).
Osborn-Forde highlighted the fact that the NHS “is in crisis”, with 11.2m patient interactions every week, and the medical model is “predominantly of a pharmaceutical approach”.
As for barriers to physical activity, the NASP CEO said NHS practice and policy “needs to change” and established professionals must be able to “embed social prescribing” in their continued professional development (CPD).
Her thoughts chimed with Beevers’ view that, although Everyone Active has millions of visits across the country, only 20,000 of them are referrals. “A drop in the ocean,” in his view.
Laying out the facts for those in attendance, Deniszczyc said that one in four live with a long-term condition in the UK, while on that latest GP survey, 80% of people with a long-term
condition felt that current services were inadequate for their needs.
Irving added: “There can be things done in the industry, but really I want to see us starting to do something in our communities, out of our hospitals and GP practices – we need shared outcomes, not targets. We want people thriving, not just surviving and then how we pool that resource to do something different.”
MacGinnis agreed wholeheartedly with Irving’s sentiments and talked about industry operators “finding the win-win”, where opportunities are joined up and employees and individuals can ‘kill two birds with one stone’.
The UKRI director concluded: “To have that conversation with the health system, you need to have the right information to go with it – it’s that win-win you need to be looking for.”
To find out more about Irving and West Yorkshire’s goals for a healthy regional population, see p22-27.
Solar panels will be installed at Riverside Leisure Centre in Norwich in a bid to cut carbon emissions.
Costing close to £1m, it is hoped that the panels in the Places Leisure-run centre will reduce the cost of electricity use by a third.
Run by the operator since 2013, Riverside Leisure Centre – closed as many centres were during Covid –membership numbers has surpassed pre-pandemic levels.
A grant of £520k has been secured by City Hall to go towards the scheme, alongside £375k being contributed by the council in borrowed funds.
The energy-saving installation is one
SUPPLIER’S VIEWPOINT
of four carbon reduction projects planned by the council.
By using solar panels, Norwich City Council has estimated that £53k could be saved on the utility costs of the leisure centre per year.
Join the great and the good of the sector at this summer’s Elevate event, with new strands and informative seminars.
Registrations for Elevate 2024 – a leading event in the physical activity, fitness and sports therapy sector – are now LIVE, and the response has been nothing short of exceptional.
On 12-13 June, exhibitors, partners and supporters will once again transform London's ExCeL into the epicentre of innovation and collaboration.
Elevate is the only cross-sector event for the sports therapy, performance, fitness and physical activity sector. “We pride ourselves in bringing professionals together for a comprehensive experience,”
said Lucy Findlay-Beale, event director for Elevate.
Elevate continues its commitment to equality by offering FREE access to the exhibition and the entire Education Programme, supported again by The Future Fit Group.
For 2024, the programme has expanded with specialised tracks for Active Kids and Aquatics, and the entire curriculum is now fully CPD-accredited, positioning Elevate as the most extensive and only free-to-attend education programme in the industry.
Elevate 2024 will feature an extensive exhibition, along with diverse, cutting-edge equipment and services. So join us on 12-13 June at ExCeL, London.
Meanwhile, Everyone Active has replaced halogen lights with LED lighting at the William Penn Leisure Centre, with the help of Three Rivers District Council in south-west Hertfordshire.
The operation to remove and replace the lights has been environmentally friendly, as rather than ending up in landfill the old bulbs have been fully recycled.
This work follows last summer’s £50k investment to upgrade the lighting throughout the facility to LED, showcasing a long-term commitment to energy efficiency.
Using less than 80% of the energy of traditional incandescent bulbs, LED lighting does not require costly maintenance.
In addition, the new bulbs have a much longer life expectancy than old light fittings – often more than 20 times longer.
PAUL CLUETT, DAVID MONKHOUSE AND MALCOLM MCPHAIL
From navigating hostilities to diversifying the board, three outgoing CIMSPA trustees reflect on the transformative journey of the chartered institute during their long years of service
PAUL CLUETT, FCIMSPA (CHARTERED) MANAGING DIRECTOR, ALLIANCE LEISURE
IT WAS A CHALLENGING TIME WHEN YOU BECAME A TRUSTEE OVER 15 YEARS AGO. CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT IT?
I was initially asked to join the Board of ILAM (as it was back then) to assist in stabilising the financial position and also at the time an ambition was developing to join with the Institute of Sport and Recreation Management (ISRM) to create a single voice for the sector. Bringing together these two institutes, each with proud histories, wasn’t an easy task; whilst seeking a common outcome, the two organisations had diff objectives and at times it felt quite hostile! It was crucial to recognise the histories of both organisations and also as it became tribal on occasions, to
navigate a path allowing both sides to give up some ground whilst remaining true to their values.
It was challenging, but also very rewarding, enjoyable and I’ve been privileged to meet and work with some fantastic people over the years.
from sport to a broader perspective of physical activity. We also wanted to raise standards, professionalise the sector and be able to advocate for the wider sector.
! It was nise the h nd also bal
It took time, perseverance and crucially the hard work of people like Peter Mann, Marc Newey (then chair of ISRM) and David Stalker to name just a few – and there were many others. It’s thanks to their wisdom and determination that we were able to set aside emotions and bridge nd the common ground needed to create the Chartered Institute. Our primary motivation was to create a united voice for the industry rather than fragmented factions. We wanted to shift the focus
to set aside emo the gaps to find ground needed Inst create a uni fragmen ask; whilst ome, the two ad different t times it
www.cimspa.co.uk
When I started working in leisure in 1986, the industry was not perceived as a serious profession and it had limited career pathways. Gaining chartered status was a significant achievement. With the involvement of Peter and Marc, I always believed we’d get there, but we did it much faster than I imagined - we were one of the quickest organisations to go through the Privy Council process to secure the Royal Charter.
The result is that CIMSPA is now driving standards, professionalising the sector and handling governance effectively. That wouldn’t have been possible with two institutes.
As a consumer, none of us would use a lawyer, dentist or accountant if they didn’t have professional qualifications, but that process didn’t happen overnight. I would like it if in the future, that same level of calibration is used by customers when deciding where they want to spend their leisure and exercise time. We tend to be an industry that accepts change better than others and we need to recognise that it’s going to take time to get full traction and for chartered status to become the norm for individuals, employers and the public.
“Internally, the CIMSPA team has grown from three when I started to more than 70 brilliant individuals”
The current economic situation isn’t helping, but we just need to keep our eyes on the prize. With the industry increasingly leaning into health and wellbeing, I do think the time is right to really drive-up standards in the sector.
the sector. We have better quality control of education and are doing some interesting work around recognising different levels of competence within the industry. We need to keep working on our value proposition so more individuals and employers engage with us.
CO-OWNER ACTIVE INSIGHT
WHAT ARE SOME OF THE KEY CHANGES YOU’VE WITNESSED AT CIMSPA?
It’s been an incredible journey over the past nine years. When I joined CIMSPA, we were facing financial challenges, had limited membership and lacked significant sector support. I had the privilege of joining at the same time as Tara Dillon and watched as her leadership led to rapid change. Witnessing the organisation’s evolution has been remarkable.
One of the most significant changes has been at board level. Initially comprising mainly leisure professionals – people who had run sports and leisure centres - today’s board is much more diverse with lawyers, marketeers and educators. This shift has improved our strategic discussions and expertise.
Additionally, CIMSPA’s committees have multiplied and are much more impactful. For example, the Audit and Probity committee, which I chaired, has helped make CIMSPA a more robust organisation thanks to the increased level of knowledge and expertise.
Internally, the CIMSPA team has grown from three when I started to more than 70 brilliant individuals.
CIMSPA’s impact on workforce has grown substantially. We now have fantastic membership and support from
WHAT DO YOU CONSIDER TO BE THE BIGGEST SUCCESSES DURING THIS TIME?
Becoming a system partner with Sport England has been a major success. It’s given us recognition as an integral part of the delivery system for sport and physical activity. This recognition has not only opened doors but also facilitated funding, making us a more sustainable membership organisation. Personally, I think the vital contribution we made to both individuals and the sector during the Covid pandemic as part of the National Sector Partners Group (NSPG) is probably CIMSPA’s biggest achievement.
HOW DO YOU SEE CIMSPA’S ROLE IN THE FUTURE?
I firmly believe CIMSPA will continue to be an integral part of shaping the future. I disagree with the talk about pivoting to health, we’ve been doing that for years. Our focus must be on locally placed activity, understanding community needs and tailoring projects accordingly.
e future I with the pivoting to health, that for focus must be activity, ding y needs and ojects y. als
Professionals will need more softer skills and a broader skill set to work beyond the walls of fi facilities. If we want to continue to make a difference to people’s lives, our teams must be
r a ll set to walls of fitness we want to a o
es, our t
able to initiate conversations that guide and support individuals towards environments that encourage healthier lifestyles, which may or may not be gyms and leisure centres.
It’s been an incredible six years at CIMSPA. However, with two teenage daughters and my chief executive role in Scotland, I feel it’s the right time to pass the baton. Every person has their season.
One of the highlights was the establishment of the Youth Panel. Challenged by CIMSPA chair Marc Woods to create a platform for young talent, we developed a unique setup that allowed them to have a voice at the board table. This initiative has been one of CIMSPA’s most significant achievements, fostering the development and impact of young people in our sector. My
CIMSPA colleagues built fantastic relationships with the youth panel members, making my role much easier. Handing over the chairing role to the young individuals themselves was particularly gratifying. The Youth Panel continues to thrive, providing a valuable platform for young voices in our sector across the nation.
Another significant moment was when I realised the remarkable progress CIMSPA had made. Seeking to reduce public liability insurance for members, we had secured a meeting with a senior executive at a prestigious insurance company. The fact that this meeting took place at all spoke volumes about how far CIMSPA had come from an organisation struggling financially a few years previously to one whose voice carried weight. We were in a different league.
I firmly believe CIMSPA’s future growth lies in expanding its regulatory function beyond individuals. CIMSPA can play a pivotal role in regulating the wider landscape.
It’s been an honour to contribute to CIMSPA’s journey during this transformative period. With Marc’s outstanding leadership and the support of Tara and Spencer [Moore, chief strategy officer], it’s been an exciting and energetic chapter. I’m proud of the talent we have on the CIMSPA board and excited about the organisation’s future.
1. Enjoy what you do. I’m passionate about municipal leisure and have worked in it directly or indirectly my entire career. I wouldn’t have wanted to work anywhere else. Our sector is unique; it offers a fun product that makes you healthier – what’s not to like about that? The people in our industry work incredibly hard; it’s critical to enjoy your work.
2. Surround yourself with amazing people. In the early days of my career, I worked with some good people and some not so good. I learned lessons from all of them, but as time has gone on, I have relished being able to work with teams that have shared my love for the industry and want to deliver the best service possible.
1. Create environments where people thrive.
2. Seek to understand before being understood (Stephen Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People).
3. Start with the end in mind – understand what you want to achieve before setting out.
1. I believe leaders are shaped by their background, lived experiences and emotional intelligence. Identify your strengths and commit to developing them to become the best leader you can be.
2. Prioritise honesty and trust over performance. Use emotional intelligence to navigate challenging situations, focus on yourself and develop resilience.
3. Understand that in every career there are bridges to build, cross, stay on and sometimes burn. Assess where you are and take the necessary actions.
Imagine you find yourself at a networking event. You introduce yourself to a friendly-looking person and tell them what you do. This person asks you why you do that job. You’re taken aback but want to be polite and also give a good impression so you think quickly on your feet and say… Well. What would you say?
One of my favourite quotes is from tennis player and now pundit (and campaigner) Martina Navratilova: “The moment of victory is too short to live for that and nothing else.” I love this quote as it shines the light on one of the three Ps that drive long-term, sustained motivation. The type of motivation that can help us and our teams continue to
In the first of her leadership series, Catherine Baker, founder of Sport and Beyond, and author of Staying the Distance examines what drives sustained motivation for you and your team
work hard and strive, through hardship, challenges, setbacks and yes, even through success.
Because it turns out whilst having a specific and compelling goal or outcome in mind can motivate you to strive, work hard and perform, this is only correct up to a point. What happens when you achieve that goal? Or suffer a setback which makes that goal unattainable? How then can you maintain and sustain your motivation? Both elite sport, and research and insight from the world of work more generally, demonstrate clearly that whilst there is some merit in a focus on shorter-term, concrete, tangible goals, something more is needed to drive long-term performance.
Imagine you have a bin in your office that sits five metres away from your chair. Your goal could be to throw your apple core into the bin. Simple. But imagine if your goal is to master the technique of throwing your apple core into the bin? To come up with the best method, and best shot ever, to land the apple core in the bin. Which of these is going to drive the more sustained effort? Not the former – once you’ve got the apple core in the bin, why continue? However, the latter will have you carrying out multiple attempts – at least until someone comes into your office and asks what you’re doing.
“I choose a processdriven approach that ensures I’m searching for the best version of me”
Asked about her motivation, she told the Huffington Post: “It’s not so much a mantra as a way of life. I choose a process-driven approach that ensures I’m searching for the best version of me. My biggest motivation is to find the peak of my physical capabilities. I hope this allows me to keep adding different stimuli and trying different approaches, alongside my tried-andtested methods to push the personal best times and performances.”
As the saying goes, focus on the process, and the outcome will take care of itself.
The latter is of course a focus on process. The former a focus on outcome. And we have huge amounts of evidence, from both sport and business, to support the fact that a focus on process, and the aim for ‘mastery’ that goes with this, is much more likely to lead to sustained motivation. It was summed up brilliantly by Dame Sarah Storey (who will be competing in her ninth Olympic Games this summer) back in 2017.
I have a good friend, a FTSE 100 CEO, who took 10 days out of running his extremely busy business to go on a leadership course at a renowned institution. On his return, we got chatting on the sidelines of a sports pitch (we each had kids taking part). I asked him what he had learnt on his course. His reply was just two words: “Inspiring Breakthrough.” Two words – the result of an incredibly expensive 10-day course. How could this be the only thing he had learnt? He went on to explain that the aim of the course was to help delegates really understand what their higher or wider purpose was. All of them were successful. All of them had been in the world of work for a very long time. All of them had achieved so many of their goals already. So what was it that was going to help maintain their motivation, and reignite
their enthusiasm for the next period of their working lives? Identifying and working hard towards a higher (also known as infinite) purpose.
Try asking yourself these questions: Why did I apply for this role?
Which are the aspects of my job that bring me joy?
What do I want people to say about my leadership once my stint is up?
Did I take on this role for a wider purpose? If so, what? What’s the change I want to see in society?
Many believe that to succeed in elite sport, you have to be totally focused and single-minded with a commitment to your sport that transcends everything else. The vast amount of anecdotal evidence suggests this is not the case, and emerging research backs this up.
As in sport, so in the world of work. Work and leadership can be allconsuming. It can be relentless. There’s always something else to do, some other task to fill your time. But if you let it take over, to the exclusion of everything else, you are unlikely to be able to maintain your motivation. So keep an eye on other areas of your life, and ensure they don’t get left behind. I once heard a senior recruitment consultant state that he measured CEOs and their ability to keep perspective by hearing accounts of how they spend their weekends. How do you spend yours?
Setting tangible goals is obviously important for motivation, but focusing on the three Ps – process, purpose and perspective – will help maintain this motivation in the long term regardless of the challenges to drive sustained performance for you and your team.
Staying the Distance by Catherine Baker is published by Bloomsbury Business.
We talk to Eileen Jennow, senior health improvement officer at Public Health Scotland, about the country’s new physical activity referral standards
Public Health Scotland (PHS), the national agency for improving and protecting the health and wellbeing of Scotland’s population, launched its inaugural physical activity referral standards in 2022. It marked a significant step forward in promoting consistency, quality and accessibility across physical activity referral schemes (formerly known as exercise referral).
The launch of the new standards followed a comprehensive review by Loughborough University, which recommended developing a quality assurance model to improve availability of physical activity referral schemes, promote uniformity and enhance the quality of the services being delivered.
“The research confirmed what we suspected; there was a lack of consistency in the delivery of physical referral schemes across Scotland. Some schemes only partially met National Institute for Health and Care Excellence
(NICE) guidelines, while others catered for people who were already active. Monitoring and evaluation practices also varied considerably,” says Eileen Jennow, senior health improvement officer, PHS. Partnerships have been key to the development of the standards. Public Health Scotland, Sportscotland, academics, those providing physical activity referral services as well as commissioners including NHS, localauthority and third-sector funders came together to form the Physical Activity Referral Development Group to answer the question: ‘what does good look like?’
This collaborative approach combined with key stakeholder consultation paved the way for the development of robust standards to guide the design, delivery and commissioning of physical activity referral services.
According to Movement for Health, a
coalition of Scotland’s leading health charities, 47% of the adult population in Scotland are living with at least one long-term health condition. The figure rises to 60% for adults living in the country’s most deprived communities. And just over a third of these adults ( 34%) say their long-term condition limits their day-to-day activities.
The role of physical activity in managing and preventing many long-term conditions is well documented. Evidence shows that even small increases in activity can benefit people’s health. However, despite this evidence and endorsement from the UK chief medical officers, some people worry that exercise will negatively impact their condition. At the same time, messaging around physical activity from health and social care professionals is inconsistent.
“When I was pregnant two years ago, some professionals advised me to be active, others discouraged me. The new standards will help address this disparity supporting health and social care professionals to refer people to local activities, which will benefit their health and wellbeing,” says Jennow.
But that’s just one side of the equation. Ensuring the workforce is equipped with the necessary knowledge and skills to design, deliver and evaluate referral schemes is the other, crucial element.
Recognising this, the physical activity referral standards recommend that commissioners should seek and advocate for CIMSPA-approved qualifications for physical activity providers. Also, physical activity referral services should adhere to CIMSPA’s professional standards for People with Long Term Conditions and Health Navigator, offering a benchmark for quality.
Thanks to the growth in online training, accelerated by the Covid-19
pandemic, CIMSPA-accredited training courses are more accessible to physical activity professionals in Scotland than ever. However, ongoing staff recruitment and retention challenges make it difficult for physical activity providers to find Level 3 and Level 4 qualified staff, while the economic situation means budgets are often too tight to fund the necessary training for existing team members to acquire these qualifications.
CIMSPA is working with education partners to map courses and degrees to employer-led professional standards for sport and physical activity to ease entry into the workforce.
As an example, Edinburgh Napier University’s MSc Clinical Exercise Science is the first Scottish master’s degree to be mapped to the Working with People with Long Term Conditions professional standard, while its Physical Activity and Health degree has been mapped to the Gym Instructor and Personal Trainer professional standard. Both degrees are endorsed against Health Navigator.
“The integration of these qualifications within university and colleges will be key for the future delivery of these services. Opening up to other professional groups will also
help with current and future delivery,” says Jennow.
“Currently, certain healthcare professionals like physiotherapists can’t deliver physical activity referral schemes because they don’t have a Level 3 or 4 qualification. The hope is that professional experience can be recognised as contributing to continuing professional development (CPD) points, so referral schemes can benefit from the knowledge and experience of suitable professionals.”
The physical activity referral standards are integral to the National Physical Activity Pathway (NPAP), which is designed to help health and social care professionals in primary and secondary roles have informed discussions about physical activity and signpost or refer people to the right service for them. The Health and Social Care Delivery Plan states that the NPAP should be embedded within appropriate clinical settings across the healthcare system.
Jennow says the physical activity referral standards are beginning to show positive effects, with early signs of improvement.
However, she emphasises this is just the initial phase: “The first governance meeting is set to take place imminently to assess the implementation of the standards and the ways we support individuals at a local level in their delivery efforts. The hope is that as the standards become integrated into clinical pathways, promoting the overall wellbeing of people with long-term health conditions, we will start to shift the balance of care from acute to community, promoting a healthier and more active society.”
Visit www.cimspa.co.uk for more information about professional standards and access to CIMSPA endorsed training and qualifications.
Magna Vitae has been on a journey for more than 14 years with Quest to achieve a rating of Excellent at its flagship facility, Meridian Leisure Centre
The charitable trust currently undertakes Sport England’s quality benchmarking scheme at three of its leisure centres, with Meridian Leisure Centre's recent excellent banding putting it in the top 6% of all Quest facilities, whilst Skegness Pool & Fitness Suite and Horncastle Pool & Fitness Suite achieved Very Good.
“This acknowledgement by Quest marks the culmination of more than 14 years’ worth of hard work at Meridian Leisure Centre. Throughout that time we’ve developed and used the process in the way it’s intended - supporting our teams in continuous improvement,” says Naomi Wilkinson-Baker, director of operations at Magna Vitae.
“Even maintaining a banding is an achievement in our eyes, so watching us grow from registered to good to very
good and now excellent is an honour. We still have lots of areas for improvements (AFIs) to make and are keen to see all modules assessed eventually achieve excellent, but we also celebrate maintaining results.”
“Whilst the staff across our venues have always communicated well day-to-day, it became apparent we weren’t sharing results and learning from our Quest assessments,” explains Wilkinson-Baker.
“We could have four different Quest assessors across our sites, all with different objectives and specialism areas, so to capture all the recommended AFIs we decided to compile our corporate improvement plans to speed up the development and improvement process.
The more assessors we have over the years, the more different recommended AFIs we can all share. Without Quest,
Quest is a valuable metric, defining industry standards and encouraging best practices across health and wellbeing services. A comprehensive two-day Quest Plus assesments reviewed its facilities’ online and invenue customer journey, along with operational processes, environmental management, accessibility, sales, and retention.
we wouldn’t be where we are today.
“Our mantra is ‘tell me I’ll forget, teach me and I’ll remember, involve me and I’ll learn’. It’s why we try to get as many staff involved in the assessment as possible. So instead of holding individual meetings for each site, Magna Vitae duty managers now meet every other month and work together. So, we have a real advocate for environmental management, who leads on that for all our sites, so we’re only doing the work once.”
This same approach feeds into the physical Quest assessment day, where the wider teams are involved. Even though it is two days of heavy resource, with input from receptionist to duty manager level, there’s ‘no better investment to set us up for the year’.
Wilkinson-Baker says she is a firm believer in self assessing, to the point that new staff are required to do a mystery visit during their induction. She says it’s a ‘good way to get them involved’ from the start.
“I took part in Magna Vitae's first Quest assessment as a newly qualified duty manager. It was scary and I felt like I wasn’t able to contribute,” she says. “Having the team involved means they become used to the environment. A duty manager told me he was really excited about our latest Quest assessment and couldn’t wait to share the work we’ve been doing. We’ve been able to change the stigma of Quest being viewed as someone coming in to check on us and are seeing it for what it is - someone coming in to support and assist with our continuous improvement journey!”
Magna Vitae plots its development journey through the year as part of its leisure strategy plan, with Quest feeding heavily into this. “Despite not being specifically about Quest, every section of the plan tells you what module it supports and who’s leading on that,” says Wilkinson-Baker. “Every task is aligned to as many different areas as
“Our mantra is ‘tell me I’ll forget, teach me and I’ll remember, involve me and I’ll learn’...”
Naomi Wilkinson-Baker, director of operations at Magna Vitae
possible. It’s like a giant to do list shared across all venues that feeds into everything we do. When it’s Quest assessment time, we can easily view what we’ve done and the results.”
Observing that environmental management is Quest’s weakest scoring module nationwide, Magna Vitae chose to change its approach. The director of operations admits they ‘struggled to attack it too’, despite the success in other areas. She agrees that the energy crisis to keep pools open has led Magna Vitae to lower the pool temperature in winter and now it shares the information with customers via noticeboard, which improves the environmental management score.
“Our no shoe policy is another example,” she said. “The Quest assessor
advised us to shout about what we’re doing and why. Now people proactively explain to other customers that we can use less chemicals if they’re not treading through dirt.”
Wilkinson-Baker chose to undertake the Tackling Inequalities in Leisure module as part of their recent Quest assessment at Meridian Leisure Centre, with a view to testing how they fare ahead of a new venue opening in July in an area of high deprivation and health related issues. The module demonstrates a centre’s commitment to providing a top-class programme of activities accessible to the community’s needs and acts as a mark of best practice in providing inclusive and accessible facilities and services.
She explains: “Quest’s selfassessment guidance challenged us to offer a wide range of audience-specific and inclusive opportunities reflecting the needs of our targeted customers and groups, offering proactive support to overcoming any barriers to participation. As a result, we developed a community steering group for the new venue to enable us to understand these needs, demands and, more importantly, barriers our community faces. It’s something we will now implement across all our venues in the coming year.”
Quest’s operations director, Caroline Constantine, said: “By meeting Quest’s demanding standards for ‘excellent’ centres, Magna Vitae has shown its commitment to providing quality facilities and services to its customers. In these tough economic times it is even more important than local leisure facilities can demonstrate their value, and the Quest process helps them do just that.”
To find out how Quest can help your business, contact: quest@rightdirections.co.uk
At West Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership, trauma-informed approaches are key to helping the population into better physical activity and improving their health
AND
To say that Emmerline Irving has a massive job on her hands is a huge understatement. Head of improving population health at West Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership, she works in an area of high deprivation and health inequality.
More than one in five people in West Yorkshire live in areas within the 10% most deprived in England, and healthy life expectancy is below the national average for both men and women, according to the West Yorkshire Combined Authority ‘State of the Region Review 2022’.
Trying to improve health outcomes against this backdrop of deprivation and inequality is challenging and complex, says Irving. No one individual, initiative, department or organisation can achieve it on their own. It requires a whole systems, multi-disciplinary approach. “We had to make sure we had breadth across all sectors, not just health and care sectors,” says Irving. “Other stakeholders include West Yorkshire Violence Reduction Partnership and the Adversity, Trauma and Resilience team, for example.”
When Irving joined the partnership in 2018, it was on a ‘prevention at scale’ programme, with a focus on typical health factors such as alcohol and tobacco consumption. Believing that was too narrow a focus, she embarked on a scoping process with her associate director to find out how well the partnership was delivering on its objectives and what stakeholders thought was needed to improve the health of the community. This led to the launch of the Improving Population Health programme in 2019. “The senior leadership of the organisation have always been really ambitious and transformational and allow us to think outside the box and make those connections that integrated care boards
don’t always. It was very unusual when we started this – we were the first, really,” Irving said.
Irving and her team’s approach is to look at population health through an inequality lens and to understand the impact trauma and adversity has on individuals and communities. She works two days a week in the West Yorkshire Violence Reduction Partnership, embedding the public health approach in areas of high knife crime and bringing learnings back into health: “It’s a whole systems approach that aims to help people make healthier
“We see physical activity as one of the biggest protective factors. It’s the gateway to better sleep and better mental health, for example. And physical activity can bring people together”
life choices through understanding their context and their needs. What can health bring to the table? What can we do together in partnership? People don’t suffer in silos - we don’t have diabetes one week, another week alcohol addiction, another week…No one department can deal with the health of the nation.”
Physical activity is critically important to improving population health. Irving calls it a protective factor (she doesn’t like the term ‘preventative factors’ " ALAMY
because she thinks it has connotations of telling people what they should do), with a range of benefits beyond just the physical. “We see physical activity as one of the biggest protective factors. It’s the gateway to better sleep and better mental health, for example. And physical activity can bring people together,” she said.
A significant proportion of the West Yorkshire population don’t engage in any physical activity, let alone sport, so Irving says the conversation needs to be carefully framed to get people on board: “We always talk about moving more, [about] physical activity and sport. We have such a big population who are completely inactive, so we just want them to move more. We also need to change the narrative around physical
Understanding that life experiences can be the root cause of poor health is integral to building a trauma-informed system. People experiencing traumatic experiences when young such as abuse, violence, neglect, poverty or discrimination are more likely to be affected later in life, for example, depression, anxiety, chronic diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular and respiratory conditions, substance misuse or behavioural problems etc. https://www.wypartnership. co.uk/our-priorities/populationhealth-management/adversitytrauma-and-resilience
activity away from getting to a healthy weight or linking it to obesity. It’s about so much more.”
The other major protective factor that helps people, particularly young people, lead healthier, happier lives is a nurturing environment. “Life chances are often determined at a very young age,” she emphasised, “which is why using a health and fitness lens to improve population health doesn’t work. It needs to be that inequality lens. What is it that stops people from leading healthier lives? From doing sport? From making good life choices? What are the barriers in their environment?
“Context is key,” she continued. “People’s life experiences and environment shape the choices they make.”
That’s why a trauma-informed approach (see p27, Trauma exposure) is absolutely vital, Irving says, to meeting the needs of the local community and improving population health. “Most of the population of West Yorkshire have experienced some form of trauma and adversity in their lives – physical abuse, sexual abuse, racism, neglect, poverty, parents in prison, drug problems, alcohol problems… Plus a high number of asylum seekers are placed in the area. Asylum seekers have invariably experienced massive trauma – the trauma in the country they left that made them want to leave, the trauma of getting to another country to seek sanctuary and then the trauma that happens to them when they get to that country, from adjusting to a new life, language and culture, to being parted from family and friends and potentially facing hostility and racism.”
But Irving is also keen to stress that trauma and adversity are not limited to West Yorkshire. “Trauma and
Active adults data 2021-22
In West Yorkshire, the percentage of active adults (completing 150+ of moderate to vigorous physical activity a week) was 61.8%, compared to the national average of 63.1%.
In West Yorkshire, 27.8% of adults are less active (meaning they do less than 30 minutes of exercise a week), compared to the national average of 25.8%.
Source: Sport England’s Active Lives (Adults) survey
Active children data September 2022-July 2023
In West Yorkshire, 46% of children are active and 31.3% are less active, compared to the national average of 47% and 30.2% respectively.
Source: Sport England’s Active Lives (Children and Young People) survey
adversity are one of the biggest unmet public health needs of our time. I really do believe in the power of being trauma informed and the difference it could make to our entire society.”
She is not alone – the traumainformed approach is now gaining traction across the country. The West Yorkshire integrated care board has a goal to ensure it is a trauma-informed and responsive system by 2030.
Irving says it’s so important to break the cycle of trauma and adversity to help people lead happier, healthier and longer lives. “I know that a baby born into risk factors, if they stay on that trajectory, they are almost born into a pipeline for poor health, inequality, multiple disadvantages and/or prison. Babies who are born into protective factors – their trajectory is much more positive.”
Sport and physical activity have the power to help people and communities
lift themselves out of the cycle of trauma and adversity. Irving says she has spoken to many people who have a story to tell of how engaging in physical activity helped them make better life choices. “People who were vulnerable to being exploited, criminalised, getting involved in violence, vulnerable because home life wasn’t great… They all talked about physical activity being the catalyst to changing their story and what it could be.”
When physical activity or sport are combined with mentoring or coaching, the impact can be even more significant, providing people with a trusting relationship and the opportunity to open up – something they may not have experienced before. “One of the biggest protective factors with trauma and adversity is a trusted relationship,” says Irving. “Trusted
relationships can help people change.” Sport and physical activity can also pave the way for health services to engage with communities that are otherwise hard to reach. Not that Irving uses the term hard to reach. “We call people unheard – it’s our services that are inaccessible.” She says some of the seldom heard communities don’t trust the NHS, but if they engage with physical activity, it can open the door for health to come in. Irving works closely with the charity Rugby League Cares (RLC), for example, an organisation that often operates
One of the biggest protective factors with trauma and adversity is a trusted relationship. Trusted relationships can help people change
out of areas of high deprivation.
At the moment, she is looking to support RLC and its partners to develop a virtual wellbeing academy, which will provide resources such as trauma and adversity training. This new academy will build on the success of two other similar initiatives, such as the Health Inequalities Academy. Part of the initiative involves the partnership running what it calls ‘Knowledge Exchanges’ – annual, three-day events that bring partners and people together to share evidence and best practice.
Sharing resources like this is a very effective, budget-friendly way for organisations to continually upskill their workforce and tap into the wealth of knowledge existing in the partnership. Irving calls it increasing capability, capacity and intelligence across the system. In four years of running these Knowledge Exchanges, the partnership has trained over 4,000 colleagues. “It’s the power of people working together and giving a little bit of resource,” says Irving.
Trauma-informed practice is grounded in the understanding that trauma exposure can impact an individual’s neurological, biological, psychological and social development. It aims to improve the accessibility of services by creating culturally sensitive, safe services that people trust and want to use. It also acknowledges to see beyond an individual’s presenting behaviours and to ask, ‘What does this person need?’ rather than ‘What is wrong with this person?’
The partnership also runs fellowships through its academies, whereby people work on a year-long project to make a positive difference in the community. It started with the Health Equity Fellowship in 2021 but has since expanded to other areas as well. In 2023 there were 23 fellows in health equity, 21 in adversity, trauma and resilience, two in suicide prevention and five in climate change. Dawn Benge, a care navigator at Leeds Community NHS Health Care Trust, for example, secured a health equity fellowship with a project called My Voice Matters, focusing on people who are homeless or vulnerably housed in Leeds.
Demands on Irving in her job are high – but so are the rewards. “I’ve always been politically driven with strong values around social justice. I did a politics degree, I’ve done youth work, my mum was a councillor… I like to fix things and being part of something that can change people’s lives for the better. Plus, I have a lot of trauma, in my own background and this work has helped me to understand some of that trauma.”
Dream Big Sports is hoping mighty oaks will grow from small acorns as the non-profit venture sets out a path for its future
As a non-profit sports coaching and education organisation based in Greater Manchester, Dream Big Sports is on a mission to ignite a passion for physical education, activity and sport in the next generation of young people, while reinvesting into greater opportunities for disadvantaged communities.
And since launching the business with one partner primary school and one holiday camp venue in 2016, the organisation now has a core team of 22 coaches supporting 12,000-plus children and delivering more than 20,000 hours of paid sports and activity coaching each year.
Considering this success, it could be forgiven for patting itself on the back for a job well done and slipping into cruise control for a while. But Dream Big Sports has no intention of resting on its laurels, having decided to take things to the next level with the recent launch of its Mission: DreamBIG! initiative.
In committing to four social value pledges taken from the government’s Social Value Model, it is looking to create even more opportunities for young people who may face barriers to participation in its sport or physical activity sessions for a variety of reasons, often beyond their control.
However, before we get to the pledges, I ask Dillan O’Connor, director at Dream Big Sports, how the organisation came up
“We started working with a consultant to identify what social value really meant to us as a company and what social value we were delivering to our community”
with the idea. “Back in 2021, following the lockdowns, we launched a similar campaign called Get Manchester Active,” he explains. “It allowed schools and colleges to sign up for extra physical activity provision during term time, along with accessible community sessions and increased activities throughout the school holidays, all free of charge.
“We delivered on that but didn’t really follow up on it or do it again. But we did start working with a consultant to identify what social value really meant to us as a company and what social value we were delivering to our community. We knew what had worked previously, but we wondered how we could expand on it beyond purely sport and physical activity provision.”
Hence, the four different themes taken from the government’s official social value measurement categories. “There are eight recommended themes in total, and we highlighted the four we felt were relevant to us,” says O’Connor. Those themes are: health and wellbeing; education and skills; employment and volunteering; and social and community – with a key target this year of providing more than 1,000 hours of sport and physical activity for free.
It comes as no surprise that finance is the biggest barrier holding back many children. Dream Big Sports operates predominantly in Oldham and Rochdale, two of the most deprived
The government’s official social value measurement categories have eight strands, with Dream Big Sports focusing its energies on the following:
Health and Wellbeing
To provide 5% of its annual delivery hours from the previous year as fully funded sport and physical activity.
Education and Skills
To provide a minimum of 50 hours of training and CPD opportunities for each individual in its core delivery team.
Employment and Volunteering
To offer opportunities annually through work experience, volunteering and apprenticeships equivalent to 50% of the size of its core delivery team.
Social and Community
To organise and deliver three community events annually, collaborating with local sociallydriven organisations.
areas in Greater Manchester, if not the whole country.
“In addressing our first social value target, health and wellbeing, we’ve pledged to provide 5% of our annual delivery hours from the previous year as fully funded sport and physical activity in 2024,” explains O’Connor. “Having delivered over 20,000 hours of paid provision last year in primary and secondary schools, including during their holiday periods, this now equates to over 1,000 hours.”
And so far, Dream Big Sports has already delivered about 350 of those hours. Local schools can apply for three hours a week, involving typically one morning or afternoon per week over six weeks or a full half-term for 18 hours at a time. But they must show in their application that they fit with what the provision is for – which is improving physical and mental wellbeing, and generally increasing opportunities.
“The kind of schools we’re talking about are those where the kids generally won’t consider going to an evening club or join any grassroots sporting activity at the weekend,” says O’Connor. “Their physical activity tends to stop beyond what they do in school [or] after-school clubs. Therefore, we prioritise schools in the most deprived areas.”
In terms of the social and community theme – although it touches on all the themes really – O’Connor points to the coaching that takes place in local holiday
camps. “It’s here that we probably benefit the community most directly,” he says. “For every school holiday camp that we run during half terms, we’re giving a minimum of 10 children the ability to attend for a full week fully funded... That would usually cost the paying parent about £80 to £90.” Dream Big Sports works closely with local schools to identify the most vulnerable children that would benefit from this extra support during the holidays.
Another one of the targets of the social and community pledge is to organise and deliver three community events annually, collaborating with other local socially driven organisations. One of these is its highly successful annual Active Schools Conference, which takes place this year on 26 March.
Directed at headteachers, senior leaders, PE subject leaders, business managers and governors within primary
school settings, the free-for-all day celebrates the successes of PE, school sport and physical activity while working to create a physically literate and active generation of young people.
“We’ve been running the conferences since 2019, with the exception of during the pandemic,” says O’Connor. “It’s another way for us to provide opportunities for young people and give back to the community. We bring together industry leaders, experts and workshop leaders from around the country, and then offer it out to any sport and physical activity professional or business working in primary education in Greater Manchester. We had just shy of 50 attendees last year and hope to attract even more this year.”
It’s important to realise, however, that as well as seeking externally to offer sporting activity-based opportunities to young people in its catchment area,
“As part of our employment and volunteering pledge, we’re trying to support employability by offering work experience opportunities or voluntary places on our holiday camps – and we also have a commitment to apprenticeships as well”
Dillan O’Connor
Mission: Dream BIG! is also internally addressing the needs of its core team of staff, who are often drawn from those very same young people.
“As part of our employment and volunteering pledge, we’re trying to support employability in the area by offering work experience opportunities or voluntary places on our holiday camps,” says O’Connor. “We also have a commitment to apprenticeships as well.”
And they’ve had some inspiring successes in this area. Kai Haigh was 21 and unemployed in the summer of 2022. Having taken up the offer of a voluntary, unpaid sports coaching two-week stint during the school holidays, he then went on to do an apprenticeship with Dream Big Sports. “He completed that with distinctions in December just gone,” says O’Connor, “and immediately secured a full-time coaching position doing 37.5 hours a week with us.”
Similarly, Alex Kenny completed the organisation’s community training programme, which offers funded provision for young people aged 16 to 25, who are (or are at risk of being) NEET (not in education, employment or training). Kenny completed the programme and then passed a basic coaching qualification. “He continued to contact us to seek out opportunities and showed real enthusiasm, so we offered him a similar route, doing voluntary "
22 Organisation now has a core team of this many coaches
12,000+ Children are supported in their sporting activities
20,000+ Hours annually delivered by paid sports and activity coaching
work at one of our holiday camps. Now he’s a paid casual coach with us, but we’re also having discussions about getting him on an apprenticeship programme,” says O’Connor.
Turnover of staff within its core team is, in fact, one of Dream Big Sports’ biggest headaches, according to the director, although he also acknowledges it’s a sector-wide problem. “As there’s a relatively low bar to entry in our sector, a lot of opportunities present themselves once someone is trained, qualified or experienced,” he says.
“We’re working to try and reduce this high turnover, but it’s about achieving a balance. You can’t take it personally when someone moves on. You’ve effectively helped them become better qualified and it shows we’re doing our job as an organisation. It’s a box ticked.” O’Connor is proud to point out that some of their coaches have gone on to work in the NHS, become qualified teachers, and even travelled the world coaching.
As for the future, Dream Big Sports has set itself the target of engaging 50,000 unique children every year in physical activity by end of August 2025. “We estimate we’re currently working with about 20,000 individuals, so we’ve got some work to do,” admits O’Connor. “It’s an ambitious target, but we’re hoping the Mission: Dream BIG! initiative will help.”
Pool regulations and supervision have muddied the waters in recent years but water safety is on the edge of a breakthrough thanks to new guidance and technology
Technology is assisting us in every area of life. And lifeguarding is no exception with swimming pool technology having been available since 1999. Early systems mainly focused on detecting a stationary object at the bottom of a pool, but fast-forward more than 20 years, and technology has evolved to the point where artificial intelligence (AI) can track swimmers, as well as learn behavioural patterns.
Assisted lifeguard technology (ALT) provides an additional layer of safety and support for lifeguards to save lives. As Alan Ritchie, national pools and water safety manager at GLL, which operates more than 240 leisure centres, explains, the technology is all about creating “safer pools for everyone”.
“Lifeguarding is about creating a safe environment for swimming,” he says.
“Lifeguarding is about creating a safe environment for swimming,” he says.
“Assisted lifeguard technology enhances that”
Alan Ritchie, national pools and water safety manager at GLL
“ALT enhances
a lifeguard’s role as the tech
can
help them respond in a timely manner to any
unfortunate incident they can’t see – resulting
in
a better outcome
for the swimmer and the lifeguard.” Systems vary in how they work but typically make use of overhead or in-tank cameras with the lifeguard able to monitor these either via a device like a watch or monitor. Such technology requires investment and, depending on the approach taken, could have minor disruption if retrofitting. There should be no price on safety, and some systems available also bring added advantages of data collection on pool usage and increased efficiencies when it comes to managing resources and overheads.
Buying a system remains a big step though, with the rapid pace of technological development often bringing more complexity to the decision-making process. And while the universal goal is to make swimming pools safer, no two pools are the same and operators will have different challenges and requirements.
To help them make the right decision, the Royal Life Saving Society UK (RLSS UK) has worked with a number of parties to develop guidance on selecting, installing and using assisted lifeguard technology. It has been working on an update (ING01 ) of the guidance and has now published the latest incarnation in collaboration with CIMSPA, Swim England and ukactive. It has also been
produced considering the guidance given in the ‘British Standard EN ISO 20380: 2017’ and ‘Health and Safety in Swimming Pools (HSG179) Fourth Edition’, published in 2018.
“Swimming pool technology is developing very quickly, and the UK swimming pool industry has many more systems and manufacturers to choose from,” says Jo Talbot, RLSS UK commercial director. “Systems are also expanding in functions, providing more support to lifeguards and operators.
“Before the guidance was first published in 2023 and updated in January 2024, operators needed clarification about swimming pool technology, in particular selecting a system and embedding it into the operations of a swimming pool. The guidance gives operators support and reassurance when considering technology and will help them to embed a system into their operations.”
Alongside Talbot, a number of experts were involved in the working party for the guidance update, including Andy Read, independent swimming pool safety expert, Andy Ebben and Ian Ogilvie, expert witnesses and health & safety consultants, Rich Lamburn, head of facilities for Swim England, while pool operators were represented by Ritchie and Ben Beevers, group development director of Everyone Active.
Numerous key changes have been made to the guidance, including
Retrofitting is the addition of new technology or features to older systems. Retrofits can happen for a number of reasons. Manufacturing plants, businesses or governments may retrofit in order to reduce the need to replace a system entirely.
deleting references to the ‘10:20’ system of supervision which said lifeguards should spot a casualty in 10 seconds and reach them in 20 seconds. This has been replaced with ‘Natural scan: 20’ following a research project carried out by RLSS UK and the University of Chichester. It found that to give lifeguards the best opportunity to supervise a swimming pool or zone and identify hazards, they must continuously scan the pool/zone they are responsible for and ensure the full surface area and volume of pool water is covered.
Results from the research showed that lifeguards were unable to execute the 10-secs scanning strategy of scanning the full zone every 10 secs (see Where can I find out more?). The guidance reminds operators that: “Pool operators must ensure lifeguards can get to any area in their zone within 20 secs”.
ALARM
An alarm (visual and/or audible) is a warning of danger, distinguishable from other alarms – in the context of detection and monitoring systems; the system may raise an alarm to highlight an emergency
ALERT
An alert is now defined as a warning of any unusual or potentially dangerous or diffi cult circumstance in the context of detection and monitoring systems – the alert will be for the lifeguard to investigate
“Operators know they must strategically place lifeguards in the right place to get to people – especially in larger pools – in those 20 seconds,” says Andy Read. “And it’s also been recognised that technology can help with the scanning.”
Other significant changes in the guidance include expanding the differentiation between the definitions of ‘alarm’ and ‘alert’. An alarm (visual and/or audible) is a warning of danger, distinguishable from other alarms –in the context of detection and monitoring systems; the system may raise an alarm to highlight an emergency. An alert is now defined as a warning of any unusual or potentially dangerous or difficult circumstance in the context of detection and monitoring systems – the alert will
be for the lifeguard to investigate.
“This is a significant addition because it links very closely to what’s in the standards now and what’s being developed in the standards over the next year,” explains Andy Ebben. “From the outset we knew this guidance couldn’t stand still because of the pace of technological change but on top of that, because of the work being done in international standards on the technology and in other areas.”
The guidance also now includes a section on procurement, water clarity and how that affects visibility, more information on the use of mobile devices as well as additional guidance on the relationship between the pool owner/ operator and designer/architect. This takes into account implications of whether the project will be a refurbishment or new build. For instance, ensuring a robust wi-fi infrastructure is increasingly important, emphasises Ebben: “As more and more systems are wireless – which has to be the way it’s going to go as it gives lifeguards far more flexibility – we need to make sure there is resilience in our WiFi links within a building and there aren’t dead spots that we haven’t anticipated, which might mean a lifeguard at point A doesn’t get a signal.”
The RLSS UK and working team held an online webinar to launch the guidance update earlier this year which attracted registrations of more than 300 people and an audience peak of around 250 people on the day. Read said the aim was to attract different groups including swimming pool managers, directors in local authorities responsible for pools, local authority leisure consultants, environmental health officers, the HSE as well as a number of career lifeguards. “All of these groups can do a lot to promote the cause. We recognise that lifeguard costs are heavy, and while we are certainly not advocating – nor are we
anywhere near – the point where you can totally remove lifeguards from the poolside, you can definitely control the number of lifeguards. And with supportive technology, this can be controlled even more,” says Read.
“In addition, lifeguards are human and can make mistakes, so we need to design systems and buildings to support lifeguards. Technology can help do this.”
Ritchie has considerable experience in implementing ALT systems. He says introducing new tech starts with the correct training and ensuring that the lifeguards are given the right information to support their learning.
“In this way, lifeguards support the systems and understand the benefits in the same way as management. Familiarisation time is important. GLL spend a lot of time developing the
The full updated guidance can be downloaded here:
https://bit.ly/42PzkHn
The webinar, which provides more explanation around the changes and features a useful Q&A at the end can be watched here:
https://bit.ly/3IcnfSZ
To find out more about the RLSS and University of Chichester research, go to:
https://bit.ly/3SMOqZw
“Swimming pool technology is developing very quickly, and the UK swimming pool industry has many more systems and manufacturers to choose from”
Jo Talbot , RLSS UK commercial director.”
training packages to support the integration of these systems into our pool operations. Rather than plug-andplay, we take the view that staff need time to learn to use the system, develop and share their knowledge and ensure the system is working as expected.
“This is a journey of discovery and learning for both operators and the tech companies – we can do so much more with our resources to create better user experiences if we can utilise the tech correctly.”
Development of the guidance will be ongoing, and the RLSS UK and other parties will continue to work with standards bodies to ensure there is alignment and clear messaging in this area. Frances Kelly of the HSE attended the webinar and said while the HSE cannot formally endorse the ALT guidance at this stage, she said: “I can echo that the guidance sits alongside HSG 179.”
Talbot said the RLSS UK hopes to stage future webinars on this subject, including with technology providers. She added: “As technology enhances safety, we hope the guidance will support more swimming pools to embrace technology as we are seeing in other industries.”
Keeping well by staying strong
BY SUE WEEKES
Escape Fitness has developed an in-gym training pod that claims to fuse one-to-one digital coaching with equipment for strength training. The MARS Strength Station boasts a small, freestanding footprint of 76cm (w) and 70cm (d) and aims to deliver a fully coached, self-contained total body training solution. Users can access dumbbell-driven exercises and workouts via the 21.5-inch touchscreen, accompanied by video demonstrations and training tips. It also includes Escape’s space-saving XRACK, which houses 10 pairs of Nucleus Dumbbells. Escape said it has been designed to specifically service the market shift to strength training and resistance work. www.escapefi tness.com
Polar is opening up its ecosystem for the first time, with its technology being used to power the new Momentum sport earbuds from German audio equipment provider Sennheiser. It means Momentum Sport users don’t need to buy a Polar watch or device to take advantage of biosensing capabilities and data analytics and can use Polar Flow as their training app. The earbuds aim to provide Sennheiser sound and fitness tech on one device alongside a photoplethysmography (PPG)
heart rate sensor and a body temperature sensor. They also have access to performance tracking, training analytics, smart coaching and voice guidance. In-ear performance biometrics are connected in real-time for instant insights during training and stored for post-training analysis in both the Polar Flow app and desktop browser. The earbuds also offer third-party integration with services such as Strava.
Price: €329.90 (£259.99)
https://www.sennheiser.com/en-gb
There’s no shortage of new strength training options at the moment with Technogym bringing together equipment, accessories and content to create the Universe training space solution. It offers seven different types of resistance: weights, isotonic, magnetic, calisthenics, suspension, elastic and eccentric. Designed in collaboration with strength and conditioning coaches, it aims to provide a variety of workouts as well as offer operators a number of different layout options. Technogym claims each station can be adjusted for different exercises in minimal time to optimise work intensity and deliver results. Universe is fully integrated with the Technogym Ecosystem, which includes a library of workout videos. https://www.technogym.com/en-GB/
Users of the Keepme AI-powered customer engagement platform can now access the Keepme Academy self-paced learning hub to maximise use of the platform and implement successful engagement programmes. Keepme said the academy was based on customers’ feedback. It features pre-designed learning pathways, designed by Keepme’s customer
The white-label digital health, wellness and fitness content provider Fitter Stock has launched an e-commerce platform for wellness content. The platform has been a year in the development and a build-your-own subscription service enables users to access an extensive library of content focusing on areas such as sleep, nutrition, fitness and mental health, healthy eating, meditation and yoga. The downloadable content can be incorporated into the customer’s own digital platforms be it an app, website, content management system or customer communications without the need for application programming interface (API) development. It also features a live chat box manned by real people linking clients to the Fitter Stock team. It works on a monthly per-video pricing model regardless of views. Fitter Stock can also provide subtitles and for an additional fee can add company logos, fonts and colours. www.fi tterstock.com
education and product experts, made up of learning materials and exercises. It also links users to a comprehensive knowledge bank of webinars, best practice guides, blogs and podcasts focused on areas such as making best use of WhatsApp integration and industry trends for 2024. Users will earn downloadable certificates and official Keepme Accreditation.
https://www.keepme.ai/keepmeacademy/
www.cimspa.co.uk
Career sites are often the starting point for sport and physical activity talent looking for a first glimpse of working for an organisation. According to iCIMS, a cloud-based HR and recruiting software company, an effective career site provides a central location where people can learn about an organisation’s values and culture, find available roles easily and, ideally, see the salary ranges for relevant positions.
So what experiences are your careers pages and sites offering?
In iCIMS’s recently released ‘European Talent Experience Report 2023’, researchers found:
● Just 33% of corporate career sites rated 5 out of 5 in terms of ease of use
● The average rating for ease of finding a career page on a corporate site was 3.94 out of a five-point rating system
● The average number of clicks to find an open job on a corporate site is 7.9, an increase from 5.5 clicks in 2021
● 46% of final-year university students in the UK wouldn’t apply for a role if the salary range wasn’t posted
● Only 9% of corporations surveyed included salary information in the job postings.
● Only 4% outlined the next steps of the recruitment process
● Employers that use video increase organic traffic to their career sites by up to 75% but only 4% of job postings on career sites include video content
● 53% of websites require applicants to
create an account to apply, adding an unnecessary layer of activity before even getting to the application stage
● 90% of corporations send an automated follow-up to applications
● Of the corporations who do send feedback, the average time it takes is 8.7 days.
As identified by recruitment specialists, however, an unhelpful characteristic shared by many major UK leisure operators’s websites is positioning the
signpost to the careers site at the bottom of the home page in a smallsized font. Instead, ‘Careers’ should rise to the top of the page, along with ‘About Us,’ ‘Membership’, ‘Locations’ and so on to encourage site visitors to look for careers and jobs information.
“Your career site is a key piece of the puzzle for talent to find out what it’s really like to work for your company,” said Amandine Reitz, iCIMS HR directors for EMEA. “That’s why it’s worth investing in.”
The Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) and Better Hiring Institute have teamed up to help leisure facilities find the best talent as they launch a recruitment resource for local authorities.
Providing a guide for local authority employers, the Local Authority Better Hiring Toolkit helps the businesses to make informed, safer recruitment decisions.
With accessible guidance to support employers with both obtaining and providing effective references, the toolkit gives supporting information to navigate effective pre-employment vetting, and simplified guidance around legal responsibilities.
In collaboration with Better Hiring Institute, the Local Government Association, Cifas and Reed Screening, the Better Hiring Toolkit aims to attract the most skilled professionals to public sector roles, whilst promoting processes to keep dishonest people out of local authorities.
Among the key ambitions of the Better Hiring Toolkit are to:
● consolidate industry best practice guidance to local authorities and establish best practice where it does not currently exist
● embed a culture that applies a 360° approach to safeguarding in employment
● support local authorities to offer safer, more transparent recruitment.
Local authorities and leisure facilities provide support and services to a range of vulnerable people across their region, and the toolkit will support employers recruit effectively, efficiently and focus on delivering the best service possible for the communities that they work with.
Ellie Welsh on her part-time teaching role
Ihave always loved swimming and I’m thrilled that my role at Cefn Fforest Leisure Centre allows me to pass on my knowledge and experience to people in my local community. Winning the Swim Wales Swim Teacher of the Year 2024 award meant the absolute world to me. I was so grateful to have been nominated, let alone crowned the winner.
I currently work full-time in the human resources department of Caerphilly Council, so my swim teaching is an additional role. I teach one-to-one lessons on Tuesday evenings and mixed groups of children and adults every Wednesday evening.
One of the best parts of teaching swimming is the chance to meet lots of new people, both adults and children, and to build a strong and supportive rapport with them. It gives me so much satisfaction watching them learn and progress.
The age of people attending my classes ranges from about four to
“I always use demonstrations to suit all the different needs and abilities of my learners”
11-year-olds among the children, but there’s no real cut-off point in my adult classes. I taught somebody in their 70s during the Covid pandemic.
Our adults’ ‘Learn to Swim’ programme is primarily attended by women, although we are currently working hard to attract and ensure a more balanced network of learners. Men aren’t always great joiners, but I have their wives and partners enquiring about lessons on their behalf all the time.
Cefn Fforest Leisure Centre here in Wales does everything it can to put the facility at the heart of the community. We’re also regularly promoted and championed by our customers. They are quick to support our ongoing work. I remember during the pandemic when all the centres were restricted in attendance numbers to ensure all customers had a safe and enjoyable experience. Everybody had to come in ‘beach ready’, meaning dressed in their swimming costumes, and they had to go home like that too. Thankfully, attendance figures have now returned to post-pandemic levels, and swimming lessons have played a major part in achieving.
My advice to anybody in two minds about taking up swimming is to just go for it. I think they’ll genuinely surprise
“My advice to anybody in two minds about taking up swimming is to just go for it”
themselves with what they can achieve. We’ve had some people join recently who weren’t sure it was for them. They were astonished by how far they progressed in just one lesson. It’s amazing that something so big and insurmountable to them could in fact be quite small and achievable by the end of one lesson. I’m always saying: ‘Do it, have a go, you’ll be surprised by how much you enjoy it.’
It helps that they come into a supportive environment. In fact, a real sense of community has been created, particularly among the adult learners. Those that have attended the lessons, whatever their levels of previous experience or backgrounds, have all played a role in ensuring a supportive and connected environment – in some instance becoming friends and supporting each other outside of the swimming pool.
As a swimming teacher, you need to have strong communication and good problem-solving skills. Every individual
is different. Everybody that walks through the door has a different aim that they want to achieve and, as such, you need to be adaptable. Good leadership skills are also important in directing lessons and demonstrating techniques. You need to be a good planner and organiser as well. It’s all about preparation, making sure you have the right equipment to hand and that the sessions run smoothly.
In terms of my style of teaching, I always use demonstrations to suit all the different needs and abilities of my learners – for example, those with physical disabilities and those who may benefit more from visually seeing what they need to do. As a visual learner myself, I like to bring this quality to my lessons. I believe it helps my learners get a clearer understanding of what steps are needed to make progress.
I like to be interactive with everybody. I make sure all learners receive the amount of dedicated time required. It’s about building a relationship with them and being a positive influence. Everyone’s different, but I like to think I give them confidence very quickly.
I guess it’s all about fostering an inclusive environment and having empathy, especially for the more reluctant or nervous learners. I speak to them when they first come to classes to try and get to know them better – I find out what their experience of swimming is like and if they have any fears of the water.
I provide honest feedback to all my swimmers, so they know exactly the areas they need to concentrate on to improve and achieve their individual targets. As I’m quite a chatty and bubbly person, I try to bring that side of my personality to the classes. Swimming should be fun, after all.
Ellie Welsh spoke with journalist Dean Gurden
