OPERATOR PERSPECTIVE
OPERATOR PERSPECTIVE
Pools are “a core part” of Nuffield Health’s fitness offering and “an important differentiator in a competitive market”
“For the first six weeks, participants were supported by a Nuffield Health rehab specialist, with mental health support also available, before moving on to a peer-led group programme for the remaining six weeks.” Watson concludes: “Put simply, we want to use our pools to support and reflect Nuffield Health’s charitable purpose. We want to make swimming appealing and accessible to as broad a range of social groups as possible. “Everything is on the table for consideration, from disabled access to female-only sessions with female lifeguards, from more forgiving lighting and less exposed pool access routes to more varied and flexible payment options – Klarna, for example. “If we want to engage all community groups, we need to better understand and address everyone’s needs and barriers.”
Public perception has shifted towards viewing gym membership as essential, yet swim lesson spend is still seen as discretionary
Our lessons are smaller than the norm to ensure high standards, but the broader visit experience is just as important
A charitable purpose Watson continues: “As I mentioned previously, Nuffield Health is a trading charity: in addition to providing services for members, we also run a number of community initiatives. “For example, in 2018 we launched our Joint Pain programme, delivered in our Fitness and Wellbeing centres. It’s free to attend for any member of the public with musculoskeletal (MSK) concerns and has already helped over 20,000 people. “We’ve now evolved this into the pool, with a 12-week community rehab programme delivered in partnership with Good Boost [see page 68]. We trialled it in Kingston-upon- Thames last year and again, it was free to access for anyone with MSK concerns. In fact, it specifically targeted non- members, aiming to support under-represented groups who might otherwise struggle to access our facilities.
“Because recruitment remains a challenge. As an example, we recently lost three teachers from one site and received just one CV when we advertised the vacancies. We are now upskilling some of our own team, such as fitness instructors, and this will help in the longer term. However, it takes time. “In the meantime, as I say, we’re focusing on maximising existing class occupancy, including continually reviewing our scheduling to ensure classes are happening in the right places at the right times – all without interfering with members’ expectations of being able to swim lengths whenever they want in a pleasant, relaxing environment. “Especially as we approach capacity in many of our sites, there’s a careful balance to be struck between lane swimming – which is available at pretty much all times – alongside group aqua classes, learn-to-swim and baby swim, which is mostly delivered in collaboration with Water Babies at around half of our sites.”
Nuffield Health’s swim lessons cater for a maximum of six children per class to ensure high-quality tuition and service
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STATE OF THE UK FITNESS INDUSTRY REPORT 2023 STATE OF THE UK SWIMMING INDUSTRY REPORT 2024
STATE OF THE UK FITNESS INDUSTRY REPORT 2023
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STATE OF THE UK SWIMMING INDUSTRY REPORT 2024
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