Report Prepared by South
Kesteven District Council's Sports Manager
LEISURE CONNECTION LTD
JULY 2004.
1. Introduction
This report aims to provide officers with an insight into the performance of Leisure Connection Ltd, over the last 12 months and particularly in connection with facility maintenance policies, customer feedback and consultation and Quest accreditation for leisure management.
It provides some general and statistical information, which may be useful to consider in advance of a meeting with Leisure Connection officers on Thursday 8th July 2004.
2. Contract details
Leisure Connection Ltd have been the preferred contractor for SKDC's Leisure Services Contract since 1996, when they were initially awarded a 6 year contract across 4 leisure facilities. (The Deepings Leisure Centre was not put out to tender and continued to operate as an in house contract.)
The company renegotiated a leisure services contract with SKDC in 1998, to coincide with the opening of the Grantham Meres Leisure Centre. This currently runs until 2008 and approximately 4 years ago the Deepings Leisure Centre was added to the portfolio, though this particular facility has had the management contract fee negotiated on a yearly basis.
3. Usage
The report and statistical analysis should also be considered in the context of the numbers of users per annum. The facilities attract just under a million visitors per year.
Last year 2003/04, the attendances (rounded) were as follows:
Grantham Meres, including the Sports Stadium 413,000
Bourne Leisure Centre 208,000
Deepings Leisure Centre 176,000
Stamford Leisure Centre 149,000
Total 946,000
The attendance at Bourne and the Deepings do not include school use by the Robert Manning and Deepings Schools
4. Investment
Over and above any facility investment by SKDC, Leisure Connection Ltd have invested capital into health and fitness facilities at Bourne and Stamford Leisure Centres. They are also due to invest in further new health and fitness equipment at Bourne Leisure Centre within the next few months.
5. Quality Management System
Leisure Connection has company procedures as part of the Leisure Connection QMS - Quality Management System. This particular system is intended to deliver a systematic way of dealing with the many issues that arise from managing and operating a leisure facility. The South Kesteven Contract has the QMS in operation. The following sections of this report give some specific detail on procedures and policy - all of them fit into the Quality Management System. The Service Improvement Strategy is central to the QMS and is the key driver to deliver service improvements across the sites. It is a feature of the meetings between Managers and their staff on a regular basis. An example sheet from the Service Improvement Strategy is included under Appendix 1.
6. Facility Maintenance
There are a variety of procedures the company follow, to prepare the facility for public usage and also to carry out repairs and maintenance.
· Daily Facility Check - the Duty Managers and the cleaners carry this out as they go about their duties. It is a full inspection of the facility areas and a copy of the form used is contained at the end of the report. (Appendix 2)
· Corrective Action Sheet - this is a form that is completed by the Duty Managers, cleaners or any other person who is on duty, who discovers that there is need for some specific action to be taken, over and above the normal daily duties of each member of staff. The Daily Facility Check highlights action, which is transferred onto the Corrective Action Sheet, where it is given a priority status for completion. A copy of the Corrective Action Sheet is included under Appendix 3.
· Site Checklists are used by Business Managers, Contract Manager, and Regional Director normally on a monthly basis, as they visit other sites within the contract. The results of the Site Checklists are, where necessary fed into the Corrective Action Sheets and also, the more general issues fed into the Service Improvement Strategy for the facility. A copy of the Site Checklist is included under Appendix 4.
· There is also a 'daily huddle' that takes place at least once a day, where the staff on duty are able to bring any key issues to the team, which have occurred during their time on duty. The 'huddle pad' (Appendix 5) enables staff to record their issues and goals for the day.
· There is a wipe board in the staff room that is used to remind staff of some of the key issues for the day.
· There appears to be good systems in place, accountable ones that should deliver, on the whole, a satisfactory facility maintenance regime. However, it is only as good as the staff that completes the checks and those who effectively carry out the repairs and actions within an appropriate time scale.
7. Customer Feedback and Consultation
For several years the company have worked with Sheffield University and Professor Taylor to produce some credible performance indicators for all of the sites operated by the company. These reports were produced annually and although were never part of the South Kesteven contract, the local authority valued the sharing of the information. The company have stopped the production of these reports and have not yet formally replaced these performance indicators with an alternative equivalent. In the meantime the sites do have other forms of customer feedback and consultation which all form part of the Leisure Connection QMS. The following sections provide details of the way the company gather and process customer comments.
· Customer Comments and Complaints Analysis.
Customer Comment forms are available in all Leisure Connection facilities. Completed forms are logged and passed onto the relevant Manager to be dealt with. The company expect all comment forms to be replied to within 7 days of receipt. (telephone or in writing) The information, where necessary, is transferred onto the Corrective Action Sheets and / or the Service Improvement Strategy
Data is collected by Leisure Connection on a monthly basis, using the completed Customer Comments Forms (Appendix 6) and any complaint letters received the information is compiled on to a Customer Comments / Complaints Analysis data sheet. (sample data sheets are attached to this report - Appendix 7 )
The analysis is compiled under positive and negative comments. For the purposes of this report, the more detailed analysis has been considered based on the negative comments. The sheets enable information to be considered for both physical areas of the facilities and also on the types of complaint.
Grantham Meres Leisure Centre
From May 2003 to May 2004 inclusive, the Grantham Meres Leisure Centre received 304 formal complaints. (56 positive comments were received during this same period)
Physical Areas
32% of these related to dissatisfaction with the swimming pool, 23% were relating to the changing rooms and 13% were in connection with the Café.
Types of complaint
Of the 278 complaints, issues relating to programming were the most frequent with 28%, cleaning scored 26% . Dissatisfaction with equipment represented 17%, staffing 11%, maintenance 8% and price issues 7%.
Taking the period May 2003 to May 2004, the 304 complaints relate to an average of 23 a month, just less than 1 a day. During the 13 months there were 449,000 users, which equates to 1 complaint for every 1,476 users.
Bourne Leisure Centre
From May 2003 to June 2004 inclusive, the Bourne Leisure Centre received 50 formal complaints and 4 positive comments.
Physical Areas
The top 3 areas for concern were Harpers / workout 30%, changing rooms 20% and the swimming pools 18%.
Types of complaint
Of the 50 formal complaints 32% related to programming, 14% to cleaning and 10% to price of activities.
During this period the Centre averaged just under 4 formal complaints per month. There were also 254,000 users during the 14 month period, which equates to 1 complaint for every 5,080 users.
Deepings Leisure Centre
From April 2003 to April 2004 inclusive, Deepings Leisure Centre received 57 formal complaints and 4 positive comments.
Physical Areas
37% related to changing rooms, 18% the health and fitness facilities and 16% the swimming pools.
Types of complaint
Of the 57 formal complaints 53% related to maintenance issues, 19% to cleaning and 12% to staff and other issues.
During this period the Centre averaged just over 4 formal complaints per month. There were also 190,000 users over the 13 months, which equates to 1 complaint for every 3,333 users.
Stamford Leisure Centre
From October 2003 to June 2004 inclusive, Stamford Leisure Centre received 36 formal complaints and 133 positive ones !!
Physical Areas
36% related to both changing rooms and the swimming pool, whilst 25% were in connection with Harpers Health and Fitness. £5 were in connection with swimming lessons.
Types of complaint
Of the 36 formal complaints, 33% were dissatisfied with the cleaning and the same 5 were dissatisfied with maintenance. 11% expressed concerns over both the programme and maintenance.
During this period of 9 months, the Centre averaged 4 formal complaints per month.
There were 114,000 users for this 9 month period, which equates to 1 formal complaint for every 3,166 users.
It is important to note that every comment / complaint needs considering on individual merit and certainly some comments received are more serious than others in terms of service standards or service failure. E.g. water temperature in the main pool will satisfy many swimmers, yet may be the reason for a complaint from another group.
The facilities do try and provide some feedback to users with the production of graphs / charts detailing breakdown of comments and some of the actions taken to remedy them. (Appendix 8)
We should also remember that many dissatisfied customers do not complain in any formal way where it can be recorded and monitored, nor necessarily do satisfied customers express their satisfaction with the service! (Other than at Stamford!)
· Mystery Shoppers
The company attempt to produce feedback from a 'mystery shopper' with the results feeding into the service improvement strategy. The mystery shopper is normally a member of the facility, a regular user, who has been identified by the Business Manager for each site, as someone who is prepared to carry out a series of visits to the centre scoring certain aspects of service within specific areas of the facility. A copy of the Mystery Shopper results sheet is included under Appendix 9.
· Satisfaction Questionnaires
To gauge satisfaction levels with some of the branded products which Leisure Connection offer, the company carry out satisfaction questionnaires. Examples of these are as follows:
Swim School Quality Check Questionnaire - annual. Appendix 10
Questionnaire for Holiday Play schemes - after each scheme. Appendix 11
Party Animals Evaluation Form - after each party. Appendix 12
Harpers Fitness Exit Questionnaire - as Members leave. Appendix 13
Once again, the key issues arising from the questionnaires are fed into the Service Improvement Strategy
· Customer/User Forums and Club Forums
Across all of the sites Leisure Connection offer the opportunity for users and clubs to feed back any concerns they have regarding the service they receive. Historically, these meetings do not attract a good attendance, though they still take place. User Forums are normally held on a ¼ ly basis and Club Forums annually. South Kesteven District Council representatives are invited to these forums, particularly bearing in mind that some of the issues that may arise could be the responsibility of the District Council.
· Complaint letters received by SKDC
Leisure and Cultural Services occasionally receive formal complaint letters relating to Leisure Connection's performance. Some of these letters may be copy letters of ones that have been directed to Leisure Connection for their response.
From August 2003 to June 2004 inclusive, the number of formal complaint letters /
E-mails which have been sent to Leisure and Cultural Services, across the contract are as follows:
August 2003 1
September 2003 2
October 2003 4
November 2003 1
December 2003 4
January 2004 1
February 2004 2
March 2004 4
April 2004 4
May 2004 5
June 2004 4
Total 32
8. Contract Monitoring
The Contract Monitoring Unit of SKDC formally inspect the leisure facilities on a regular basis. The inspection relates to the whole facility and in the case of Grantham Meres Leisure Centre, there are almost 300 individual inspections per visit. There is a requirement upon Leisure Connection to score at least 90% on each inspection visit. On most occasions there will be some rectification notices issued, even if the score is over 90%, which the contractor will have an agreed time to rectify. An Area Inspector will revisit the facility to check the work has been completed. Poor performance resulting in a score of less than 90%, immediately attracts a default of £250.
For the period 1st June 2003 to 1st July 2004, the facilities have had 8 formal inspections at each site, other than Grantham Meres Leisure Centre, which has had 7. The results below show the average score for each facility, along with details of the number of level 2 defaults, issued for any score less than 90%.
Grantham Meres Leisure Centre av. 95.20% 1 x level 2 default - Dec 03
Stamford Leisure Centre av. 95.25% No level 2 defaults
Bourne Leisure Centre av. 93.00% 2 x level 2 defaults - Dec/May.
Deepings Leisure Centre av. 96.50% No level 2 defaults
South Kesteven Sports Stadium av. 93.8% 2 x level 2 defaults - Dec/Jan.
Level 1 defaults are issued if the contractor fails to rectify the problem within the agreed time. From the period June 1st 2003 to July 1st 2004, the following level 1 defaults have been issued:
Grantham Meres Leisure Centre 9 defaults Sept, Oct, Nov, Dec, Jan, 4 x May.
Stamford Leisure Centre 0 defaults
Bourne Leisure Centre 0 defaults
Deepings Leisure Centre 3 defaults 3 x Oct.
South Kesteven Sports Stadium 1 default Mar.
9. Quest - accreditation for leisure facilities
Quest is a framework for managing sport and leisure facilities. Using the framework, encourages and assists management teams to manage more effectively and efficiently, and move closer to meeting and exceeding customers' needs. Significantly, Quest has been designed for the industry, by the industry and provides:
· An approach to continuous improvement, to improve the quality of service.
· Best practice principles for the sport and leisure industry.
· An opportunity for self-assessment against recognised industry best practice.
· A recognised endorsement of how well a Centre is being managed.
· A pertinent, industry specific tool to assist in the Best Value process.
Leisure Connection is not required under the terms of the contract to obtain Quest accreditation. However, it is pleasing to find that as a company they have made the commitment for all the sites they manage, to have this Quest accreditation. In the case of the South Kesteven facilities, all sites are accredited and their latest score are as follows:
Grantham Meres Leisure Centre 75% Highly commended
Bourne Leisure Centre 68% Registered
Deepings Leisure Centre 66% Registered
Stamford Leisure Centre 60% Registered
The process does see sites revisited for further assessment and mystery visits. It is possible to lose the accreditation. Further information relating to Quest is contained under Appendix 14.
10. General
· The Sports Manager meets with the Contract Manager (Nicky Sharkey) on a regular basis and also both meet up with Business Managers for SLC, DLC and BLC on a monthly basis. These formal meetings see an exchange of information that is required by both parties. It is also an opportunity to discuss ways to develop the partnership and share some current thinking and priorities. E.g. Passport to Leisure, Sports Development issues etc.
· There are additional formal meetings held between the Sports Manager and Contract Manager. These meetings see a particular topic on the agenda and the relevant people from this section attend. The meetings could include representatives from Contract Monitoring or Property Services or Environmental Health. (Health and Safety)
· There have been some recent staffing changes across the contract, indeed across all Leisure Connection sites nationally. The changes that have affected South Kesteven contract are 3 redundancies: Operations Manager at Grantham Meres Leisure Centre, Office Manager at Bourne Leisure Centre and an Administrative post at Deepings Leisure Centre.
There have been some additional changes in the way the Harpers Health and Fitness facilities are operated at all sites. There is now a reduced staffing level for off peak times with customer advisors visiting the gym during these times, whilst fitness consultants continue to staff the gym during peak times.
Leisure Connection are still complying with the contract with these recent changes, however, some customers have expressed their concern having become accustomed to a different level of service.
· John Slater and myself have formally met with Leisure Connection, Craig Forbes (Regional Director) and Nicky Sharkey (Contract Manager) to discuss these changes. The point was made that outputs are clearly the most important aspect for South Kesteven District Council and that the changes must not impact on the quality of service. Leisure Connection claims that the impact of the changes will be monitored carefully over the next few months and addressed if necessary.
· I would consider it appropriate for the Sports Manager to carefully monitor all performance related issues, including customer satisfaction and feedback in order to safeguard the public of their quality of service over the next few months.
Leisure Connection is aware of this particular stance.
11. Recommendation
For Officers to note the report.
A J Allen / Sports Manager. 6th July 2004
Please note - Appendices were not sent to LCW and therefore have not been included.