Agenda item

To scrutinise the provision and impact of physical activity and health improvement initiatives on the borough’s wellbeing.

Presented by Lyndsey Sims and Joanne Mortimer

Lyndsey Sims, Chief Executive of Hyndburn Leisure Trust, gave a presentation on the provision of ‘Active Services’ in the borough.

Active Wellbeing Services included the key areas:

·         Physical Activities

·         Healthy Weight

·         Holiday Activities and Food Programme

·         Smoke Free

She explained that the aim was to get people to be more active by providing the right support and advice.  Each scheme lasted 12 weeks.  Members were given information on the East Lancs Leisure Trust – Social Value of Exercise Referral Schemes and how people were offered the opportunity to access one of the Active Services. 

An assessment of the services was measured in 4 areas: health, wellbeing, community cohesion and individual development.  She explained that data had been collected to assess the success of the services.  They found that there were better outcomes for participants in respect of life satisfaction, greater mental health, better health outcomes and better community cohesion.  Participants were often from more deprived areas, suggesting the scheme also helped to address inequalities in wellbeing as well as improving social inclusion.  Most of the respondents intended to continue their physical activity once the scheme ended. 

In respect of valuation:

-      on the WELLBY scale, 1.6 points of life satisfaction between the programme participant and the waitlist, estimating a value of £26,500 of wellbeing impact per person.

-      on the QALY – Quality-Adjusted Life Years, there was 0.08 points on the EQ-5D index scale, estimated to be approximately £5,700.

-      benefits that are sustained are assessed to last for at least one year.

-      the majority of participants intended to stay active over the next 6 months and most would remain members of the Leisure Centre.  Thus, suggesting a sustainable business model.

For the Future:

-      There was a collective commitment to sustain and continue to grow and develop the Active Wellbeing Service.

-      Good practice would be built upon.

-      Collaborative work was being carried out to collect and analyse data, upskill and develop teams and work on commercial operating models and brand awareness.

Members submitted questions in advance of the meeting with responses provided on the following topics:

·         How the Active Wellbeing programmes were being promoted.

·         How residents could locate the services.

·         If GPs could refer patients directly.

·         Were people with disabilities/impairments catered for?

·         Are various methods of booking the courses available?

·         Are there any incentives to continue exercising n completion of courses?

A summary of the responses provided at the meeting, were given below:

·      Self-referral routes were promoted through the Hyndburn Leisure website and through a limited amount of print marketing and social media.

·      The programmes were accessed via health professional referrals and individuals could also self-refer directly on the Hyndburn Leisure website.

·      Specific pathways were delivered for different health conditions.  Facilities were designed to be accessible but further improvements would be sought as part of a commitment to inclusivity.

·      People were supported to either continue to exercise within the leisure facility or to find a low cost or no cost alternative within the community.

·      Various methods of booking were available, including online and telephone.

Members also enquired about:

- the role and involvement of Sports Clubs

- targeting against vaping

- further information on the ‘Smoke Free’ project

- Had TikTok been used to advertise the Services?

- Was there was a cap on the number of people that could use the service

- Could there be greater advertisement of the self-referral scheme

Responses were as follows:

There was already joint working with Sports Clubs, such as Accrington Stanley, to deliver facilities and opportunities to members of the public and this had been considered a success. 

Lyndsey Sims explained that the Smoke Free project was an initiative for providing nicotine-free support to residents and would provide support to people who wanted to reduce smoking and those who needed help with vaping. 

There was significant health deprivation within the Local Authority so it was important to enable self-referral to the schemes and increase reach to those who required support.

Lyndsey Sims reported that they aimed to use the data to improve services and work smarter in the future, which included good communication and the pooling of resources to produce a positive marketing message.  She pointed out that although TikTok was not used to promote Active Wellbeing Services, other social media platforms were and that they would be using testimonial stories to promote and encourage others to use the services.

There was a commercial target but it was the aim of the Service to improve the quality of that being provided and make the service sustainable.  She acknowledged that some Members had not seen any advertisements for self-referrals and indicated that this provision would be reviewed.

Resolved                               -   That the report be noted.