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The national charity and leading voice for disabled people in sport and activity

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Healthy Partnerships

The landscape of the leisure industry continues to evolve more into health and the benefits of sport and physical activity.  This has been represented within the changes from PCT’s to CCG’s earlier this year.  These changes provide the industry with a new opportunity to develop healthy partnerships in the local community to engage with more disabled people and those with medical conditions.  Here are two different case studies where the IFI Mark has been included on a local/regional level to create a healthy partnership:-

Hengrove Leisure Centre in Bristol is a £30m flagship leisure facility managed by Parkwood Leisure which opened in early spring 2012.  Shortly after opening the facility received IFI Mark status at Provisional Level for its state of the art Precor equipped fitness suite. 

As a new build facility physical access was not so much of an issue – the facility boasts accessible parking, toilets, changing facilities, reception desk, is open plan with clear and visible signage.  Staff received disability equality training and fitness staff are confident in prescribing exercise to disabled members having taken the YMCA REP’s level 3 in Exercise and Disability.

The facility prides itself on community engagement and providing fully inclusive activities.  The Healthy Living Zone links with local GP’s to provide specialist support to improve patient outcomes through physical activity and treatments including physiotherapy, chiropractic, sport and deep tissue massage.  Active Choices is a successful 12 week GP referral scheme for cardiac rehabilitation and COPD.  Activities for over 50’s include the gym, swimming, badminton, health walks, ChairFit, cookery and Ballroom dancing.  Regular groups who attend programmed activities include Bristol Active Life Project, The Alzheimer’s Society and a Learning Difficulties Weight Management Group.

The facility also hire out the facility at a concessionary rate to other disability organisations including; Bristol Austism Project, Disability Basketball and Swimming Clubs, Action for Blind People, The Family Centre for Deaf Children and Time2Share.

The facility also has an Olympic sized 50m swimming pool and shortly after opening was asked to host the Special Olympics Games in August 2013.  Nearly 400 swimmers with a learning disability competed in the Games and Hengrove proved to be the perfect accessible facility to welcome family, friends and spectators for the Games.

Derbyshire County Council and Derbyshire Sport were recently successful in acquiring funding from the local authority’s Short Break Capital Grants Scheme as part of a Paralympic Legacy Project.  The £200,000 funding is to be used to support 20 leisure facility gyms across the County meet the IFI Mark Standards. Ten of these facilities are existing IFI Mark gyms due for reaccreditation and the remaining 10 facilities are new to the IFI Mark assessment process which considers accessibility of the facility and service provision.

Facilities were asked to submit information to Derbyshire Sport in relation to their fitness equipment requirements to meet the minimum IFI fitness equipment criteria and any structural requirements to meet the IFI Mark standard for physical access i.e., accessible changing facilities, additional parking, hearing loops etc., following the access audits to be completed by the end of the financial year.

This shows further commitment from Derbyshire County Council and its County Sports Partnership to ensure that disabled people are being considered when developing sport and leisure provision following funding from Sport England’s Places People Play Olympic and Paralympic legacy programme earlier in the year.

In developing this project Derbyshire Sport have consulted throughout with Reps On Board the Learning Disability Carers Community to ensure that service users need’s will be met.  This relationship will continue and the group will mystery shop the facilities for good customer service and accessibility.  Staff at the leisure facilities will be provided with Delivering an Excellent Service to Disabled Customers training and at least one member of the gym staff will be qualified to REP’s level 3 Exercise and Disability provided by YMCAfit.  To ensure that disabled people use the newly accredited facilities Derbyshire Sport will be raising awareness of the refurbishments to welcome more disabled people to enjoy being physically active. 

This is an example of how funding streams can be accessed and projects developed centrally towards inclusion.

If you have any examples of good practice you want to share then please email us.

Reminder:  Also don’t forget that there's still time to register for the Flame Awards in both Facility and Category Awards.  Why not apply to to be nationally recognised as the best in the health, fitness and physical activity sector.

There's even a Healthy Partnerships Project Award to showcase health improvement initiatives - don't miss out!