SPECIALIST GYM PROJECT

The main aim of this project is to offer personalised prevention and wellbeing services to people

who, without time-limited or ongoing support, would be placed at a heightened risk of

progressing to higher levels of need in the medium term, significantly increasing costs to the

NHS for these individuals.

 

The key objectives that will deliver health outcomes are as follows:

 

• To provide a supportive, relaxed, and non-stigmatised environment to increase access to health-related preventative activity for the disabled and disadvantaged communities

• To maintain people at low levels of need and maximise independence.

• To provide opportunities to disabled and disadvantaged community members that will lead to a healthier lifestyle and improved quality of life.

• To increase levels of physical activity, reducing the need for health interventions caused by excess weight and obesity

• To reduce the need for longer-term health-related care and support. 

• To develop a financially sustainable service that offers long-term health-related benefits to the target audience

 

Progress to-date

 

The gym, which has been named Warehouse Fitness, is now fully operational seven days a week, and in addition to open-access gym sessions, it offers both personal training and a range of fitness classes led by qualified instructors. To date, the project has employed three staff with another ten staff working on a self-employed basis delivering sessional classes and personal training.

The service is now in its 15th month of operation, and without doubt, it is now well established within the disabled community, the local East Marsh community, and it is also attracting people from the wider community of North East Lincolnshire.

Over it's first fifteen-month period of operation, the gym has been accessed by 831 people, with over 520 people still attending at least once a month.

During the last quarter, over 79 new members enrolled with a mandatory policy that all members undertake an induction where health issues have been identified. Each individual is set with agreed goals, and a personal assistance plan is put in place, which is monitored on an ongoing basis by gym staff and updated as health improvements are demonstrated.

Additionally, the project has delivered an average of 41 personal training sessions per week and continues to offer a choice of 10 classes –two every evening, Monday to Friday, with an average weekly attendance of 296 people.

Additionally, the warehouse Gym delivers 3 x 2-hour general fitness classes per week during daytime hours specifically for disabled people, which has had an average attendance of 14 individuals. These sessions complement the weekly gym sessions that Foresight hosts for disabled people, which average around 18 people a session.

The project has always sought to improve access and availability to the disabled community and has been developing a buddying system utilising their volunteer base to provide support on a one-to-one basis in return for free use of the gym. This system is now fully operational and embedded in their volunteering programme, and the Gym currently has 39 people matched with volunteers who are benefiting from the buddying service

Through consultation with parents and families who use the gym, Foresight has identified a need to engage with children and young people, and they are currently looking to develop gym and fitness sessions for families and junior sessions.

 

Project cost to CCG = £30,000

Total social Impact = £230,418

Benefit to CCG = £200,418 

Plus an additional £30,768 in funding attracted from other sources

Total benefit to-date of £231,186