On Tuesday, September 16, EGYM brought together a select group of operators, stakeholders and partners to discuss the role of public sector leisure in delivering the government’s ambitious NHS 10-year plan. 

The event, held at Portway Lifestyle Centre in Sandwell, managed by Sandwell Leisure Trust, was a mix of workshops, seminars and networking, encouraging the sharing of information. 

With a focus on how EGYM technology and innovations are helping to deliver and demonstrate the positive impact intentional physical activity is having on the health of individuals and targeted groups, the event drove home the message about the valuable role public leisure can play in a move towards a neighbourhood-based, health care system that supports good health and prevents sickness. 

Opening the event was ukactive’s Marianne Boyle, Director of Membership and Sector Development. Marianne framed the day by summarising the huge opportunity public leisure has to support the Government in creating a sustainably healthier population whilst also achieving ukactive’s own ambition to get 5 million more people moving by 2030. Thanks to the persistence of ukactive, the physical activity industry now has its ‘foot in the door’ with the government. With this comes a real and exciting opportunity to expand our ability to shape a healthier and happier Britain.

Next followed a series of workshops, prompting passionate conversations around how public sector leisure operators can work more closely with local health professionals, attract public health funding and evidence the success of physical activity-driven health interventions in terms of cost saving and health outcomes. Workshop groups, comprising a mix of operators, stakeholders and partners, then all came together to discuss outcomes, share best practices and talk about how best to tackle challenges. Lively debates produced many outcomes, but the key ones that flowed throughout were focused on the fact that: 

• Efforts need to target not just the ageing population but also younger people to instil exercise habits earlier in their life cycle
• We need to gain more trust from our health care colleagues that our workforce has the skills, knowledge and experience to deliver positive change
• Data that tracks progress and evidence health improvements is absolutely critical to convincing health prescribers and funders that our sector can deliver positive change at scale, whilst also driving cost savings 

The event also invited trailblazing operators already working closely with their local health care teams to deliver sizeable health improvements, to share their experiences. Presentations by Darren Bowen, Leisure Services Marketing, Training and Digital Improvement Manager at Pembrokeshire County Council and Scott Grant, Leisure Manager for North Hants Council, demonstrated the vital role the EGYM ecosystem is playing in the delivery of physical activity referral pathways and providing the vital evidence of change needed. 

These presentations were backed up by a passionate panel debate, Chaired by Glen Thurgood, Chief Strategy Officer, Leisure DB and attended by Mark Braithwaite, CEO, Sandwell Leisure; Rhys Jones, CEO, Plymouth Active; Paula Vincent, Head of Health & Wellbeing, Lampton Leisure; and Kelly-Anne Stead, Commercial Director, Mytime Active. 

Key panel discussion outcomes: 

Position the EGYM Strength Series on the gym floor for access to everyone: Avoid “medicalising” the offer and normalise strength training so it feels inclusive and not just for referrals or specific age groups. 

Measure and report on what matters: Track strength, flexibility, usage, penetration and BioAge to show proven health outcomes and support funding bids. 

Data creates credibility: Solid metrics, obtained from EGYM, combined with personal success stories, help win the trust of health professionals, Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) and funders. 

Integration, not bolt-on: Weave EGYM into the full member journey and team training so it becomes central to the offer, not an add-on 

Meet people where they are: Take programmes into GP surgeries, hospitals and community venues to engage those who rarely or never use gyms, including deprived groups highlighted by Core20PLUS5 as local priorities 

Retention and ROI: EGYM boosts visit frequency, member length of stay and referrals while keeping maintenance costs low.

Partnership is key: Engage local GPs, physios and public health teams, educating them with regard to EGYM and its role in the delivery of physical activity-based health pathways. This will help to instil confidence and reduce funding barriers. 

A highlight of the day was the announcement of EGYM’s forthcoming integration with ReferAll, the established digital platform for social prescribing and wellbeing referrals. ReferAll founder and CEO, Stu Stokes, described how ‘stitching together’ the two ecosystems will create a “data galaxy” that enables leisure operators to present compelling, data-driven, patient-centric stories to healthcare professionals. This kind of seamless data flow will help public leisure demonstrate its power to prevent illness and support good health at scale, fully supporting the government’s health ambition to support good health and prevent sickness.

In short

Public sector leisure stands on the edge of a huge opportunity to drive a public health revolution. Implementing technology, such as EGYM, to enable the safe delivery of physical activity pathways and the collation and reporting of participation and health improvement outcomes will be absolutely key to a deeper collaboration with public health and the achievement of the government's NHS 10-year health plan.