Agenda item

Report of the Strategic Director, Corporate Resources

The Committee received a report to provide an update on the Health Equity Audit undertaken within the Go Gateshead Sport and Leisure Service.   The Audit was undertaken by the Public Health team twelve months ago.

A major limitation of the HEA is that the leisure card data represents customers that have a card (provided personal details) but for the purpose of the report it is not possible to provide an analysis of how ‘active’ the various card holders are in terms of frequency of visiting facilities and type of activity chosen.

Data was captured at a single point in time in December 2017, however it is acknowledged, that there are significant limitations in the data, which result in the need to make some assumptions which are highlighted, throughout the report.  The caveat with the leisure card data is that the data represents customers that have a card (provided personal details) but for the purpose of the report we are unable to analyse data regarding usage of the facilities by individuals.

Data is not held on the current system for non-card paying customers in relation to determining customer demographics, or the reason for use of the facility.  Data is also not captured regarding the use of the facilities from events, or from informal or formalised groups who play a major part in the utilisation of the Go Gateshead Sport & Leisure facilities, ie football, swimming clubs, schools etc.

Two key recommendations have come out of the study as follows:

(a)  Improve data collection and data quality to understand service usage.

(b)  Target work with particular communities (geographical and communities of interest) to improve service use.

The service aims to have:

(a)  Fit for purpose and relevant leisure facilities that lie at the heart of communities.

(b)  A better understanding of the needs and aspirations of the people of Gateshead in terms of their physical activity needs.

(c)   Raised physical activity levels amongst all sections of the community and improved health and wellbeing of Gateshead residents.

The service is currently devising a refreshed business plan which will be modelled upon the recommendations set out within this report.  Therefore in response to the Health Equality Audit findings the service is currently:

(a)  Improving data collection regarding

a.    All protected characteristics

b.    Non-card holders including wider community activity

c.     Group based users such as schools and clubs

d.    Exploring options to consider data collection on ‘non GO card holders’ of leisure services in Gateshead.  This would be useful to determine the reason why non Go card holders are using the facilities, the frequency they use them and what can be done to move these customers to leisure card/annual memberships and what the barriers to this may be.

e.    Capture more qualitative (case study) information to demonstrate health and wellbeing impact of the service.

(b)  Developing a community engagement plan to target and include:

a.    Areas of deprivation

b.    Communities of interest such as looked after children and children with a disability, as well as geographical areas.

c.     A review of the criteria linked to the Go Gateshead Access Card scheme to encourage greater and wider uptake of the card by at risk groups

d.    The service is currently launching the ‘Go Easy’ programme which is designed to make sport and physical activity more accessible and will involve:     

                                                  i.    Education, support and sign-posting

                                                 ii.    Provide free/discounted activities

                                                iii.    Engage communities of interest and target geographical areas, through workshops/forums

                                               iv.    Work closely with GP Practices and community groups.

The Committee heard from Karl Boyd, Felling Magpies.  Karl advised the Committee that Felling Magpies were in their 30^th year this year, the club was founded in 1989.  The aim of the club is to make football affordable and do a lot of work to support families, the club has families who do not have much of an income.  The club has an age range of 3 – 42 years.

The members of the club come from many diverse background, there are no trials for people to join the club.  The club now has somewhere they can call home.  Previously the club didn’t have any facilities for girls, they didn’t have any partnership with schools and they didn’t have the partnership with the Council.  5 years ago the club was on the verge of closure with only 21 members.  The club now has 330 children.   235 are from East Gateshead.  The club now has the ability to identify where the children are coming from and there are a few who come from outside of the area.  The club completed an asset transfer of facilities from the Council at Wardley Welfare Ground.  The club are working with the local community and have created partnerships with local schools.  There are 60 great coaches / managers who give up so much of their time and can’t be thanked enough.  The club and coaches are now being recognised for the work that they do.  The club has worked with the local council, the local ward officers and local community.  The asset transfer was completed with the support from the Football foundation and Sport England. 

The club has partnerships with Nike/Durham FA and Newcastle Foundation, the coaches from Newcastle Foundation come along and put sessions on in local schools.  When kids see this they want to be part of football.

The club still face some challenges which include:

·         Keeping affordable

·         Kits – if teams don’t have sponsorship, the club pays for that team’s kit.

·         The number of clubs who are all going for the same pots of funding or sponsorship of teams

·         The winter training costs for the club was massive, however, they have now signed a partnership with Gateshead International Stadium which has brought down the costs.

The Committee thanked Karl for the work he and the other volunteers at the club undertook on a voluntary basis.

Chris advised that this was about giving the Committee a flavour of the data that couldn’t be measured, given that Gateshead support 60 clubs around Gateshead with 80 volunteers registering 800 volunteer hours per week.  Chris advised the Committee that this is one of the issues officers are faced with in terms of the gap around data collection.

The Committee then heard from Lyn Rowell who gave the Committee an insight from a customers’ point of view.   Lyn advised that she was one of 5% of the population who has severe asthma.  Lyn advised the Committee that 3 years ago her health took a nose dive and not only was she in and out of hospital, she was in intensive care.  Someone asked her if she’d like to try the pulmonary rehab programme, Lyn explained that this was a combination of interventions run by the respiratory team including exercise, occupational therapists and dieticians who come and give a talk to groups.  Lynn advised that before she started on the programme she was in wheelchair a large part of the time and had 2 sticks to move around.  She had to practice for 3 weeks marching and progressed well from there.  The exercises are controlled and start with basic chair exercises.  Lyn advised the Committee that initially she couldn’t get off a chair.

Lyn told the Committee that she attended the GP for her annual review and the asthma nurse didn’t recognise her.  Lyn advised the Committee that she still has health problems but she is able to bounce back quicker.  Lyn advised that she is not special in the class, everyone has their own horror stories but if someone had told her 3 years ago she wouldn’t be in a wheelchair and wouldn’t need her sticks she wouldn’t have believed them.  Lyn was very thankful of the support she had received from the Go Easy Team. 

The Committee thanked Lyn for her attendance and welcomed her input.