Worcester

FOI Request 2011   Background to this Request

Worcester Swimming Pool Health & Safety Issues 2008 & 2011

The H&S issues are more disturbing as they occurred in the months leading up to the drowning of a young girl at a pool run by LC/Harpers in Maldon in June 2008. The inquest in May 2011 into her death made clear that Maldon managers were confused about certain safety matters. At the end of the hearing, the Health &Safety Executive did not rule out  prosecuting LC/Harpers and the family are pursuing their own action against the company. (Inquest press reports. Family Solicitor Statement).

 At Worcester Swimming Pool in February 2008 a Council Health & Safety Officer found 15 out of 18 named people engaged as lifeguards were "not competent or suitably trained." 

The officer went on to say, "I am extremely disappointed that the above people have not received suitable and sufficient training to become a confident lifeguard and has not completed ongoing training IQL standards. (Institute of Qualified Lifeguards run by the  Royal Life saving Society). I am also disappointed in the lifeguard trainer, as he is not completing the training records for all the lifeguards nor is he following Leisure Connection's criteria for ongoing training and competency assessment. There are also poor record keeping and records have not been revised / reviewed for the current lifeguards".  Report of  H&S Inspection 20.2.08 

Most of the documents cited in the following section are in one composite pdf file.  Page numbers refer to this.

The next day, the same officer wrote, "I understand the (LC/Harpers Head Office) health and safety monitoring officer has a basic health and safety course and covers 68 premises.  I highly recommend an 'advance' health and safety course for this officer." (page 4)

Two weeks later the Worcester City Council H&S officer sent LC/Harpers HQ two improvement notices. As well as his concerns about "suitable and sufficient health and safety training for all staff, particularly lifeguards," he asked for a revision of risk assessments. (page 14)

 In April 2008, the Council Officer again inspected Worcester Pool and wrote, "Review the training records / package so all staff has suitable and sufficient training in H&S (including contract manager). I understand the regional manager has no formal health and safety training.  I highly recommend regional manager has sufficient training to carry out his role."  I highly recommend regional manager has sufficient training to carry out his role. Highly recommend the Health & Safety Manager undergoes a NEBOSH Diploma “ (National Examination Board in Occupational Safety and Health)   April Report

The improvement notices also mentioned the need for suitable cleaning equipment to be kept in good condition and operable at all times, the main pool to be kept free of algae and debris, and pool tiles to be kept in good repair to avoid cuts. (page 14)

In March 2011, the  Council H&S Officer  inspected Worcester Pool and wrote, "I understand that the 'new' operational manager has no formal health and safety training.  A course has been arranged..." (page 17) The speech marks around the new suggest this person has been in post for some time, perhaps acting up? But why appoint someone who does not have the qualifications as if they were less than essential? 

The  inspection report also found that "The emergency button/alarms were not working in the sauna and steam room..." "the bulb in the sauna is out of order... the ceiling lights near the sauna is also out of order... extensive flaking paint and mould near the steam room area... excessive scaling on mens' shower... "and finally he noted "I understand the scum line in Main Pool is to be cleaned...".

Perdiswell Health & Safety Inspections

There are papers relating to four H&S inspections of Perdiswell between 2007 and 2010. (On the FOI website these are 22.11.07.JPG.jpg, 02.01.08.JPG.jpg, 9.01.08 page 2.JPG.jpg, 15.12.10.JPG.jpg, 15.12.10 page 2.JPG.jpg, 20.08.07.JPG.jpg, and 20.08.07 page2.JPG.jpg)

As at Worcester Pool, poor cleaning and maintenance has been an ongoing issue at Perdiswell. Just to give one of the earlier examples. The visit on 22.11.07 noted, “The changing rooms ... are not cleaned effectively, the floors have ‘body fats’ and debris, particularly around the corners of the walls...”

The latest H&S visit was on 15.12.10 and the report includes;

“Ensure the floor of Harpers Fitness centre has a deep clean, reduce potential infection to customers and staff.”

“The men’s changing room needs to undergo extensive cleaning... remove the mould scaling and have effective ventilation (occupational health)... Ensure sufficient ventilation in the men’s toilets.”

“The football changing room showers require further cleaning, particularly the scales on pipes, sockets and joint (potential Legionella issues)...”

Despite this H&S report at the end of 2010, another document (Perdiswell MV Report Feb 2011.pdf)  reveals cleaning continued to be an issue in February 2011. A Mystery Visitor inspected Perdiswell as part of a Quality Management Scheme for leisure centres.

She gave Perdiswell a “2” for Cleaning. (1 = Poor, 2 = Fair, 3 = Good, 4 = Excellent)  Comments include:

•  “The standard of cleanliness both inside and outside the Centre was generally fair and this was disappointing as the visit was early morning and I would have expected some of the issues observed to have been addressed by the Centre Staff upon opening.”
• “The shower area, including the floors, walls and pipes were in need of a clean.” 
• “The backs of some toilet cubicle doors were dirty and in need of a deep clean and the tops of cubicle partitions and doors were very dusty.”
• “There was a build up of debris and grime on the toilet cubicle and bench legs and in corners and recesses of the Changing Room floors.”
• “There was a build up of dust on the Changing Room window ledge, pipes under the seating benches and skirting edges.”
• “I did not observe nappy bin provisions.”
• “At the start of my visit there was no toilet roll in one of the toilets, and the bin was overflowing this was still the case when I checked at the end of my visit.” (She records the times of her visit as 9.15 to 11.30.)
• “The grill on the shower floor and surrounding area was extremely dirty and in need of an urgent clean.”
• I used the showers in the female Changing Room; this was not a pleasant experience. As stated above there was no privacy either in the changing room or showers so I felt quite vulnerable. Additional the water was cold and would not stay on; I therefore found myself covered in shower gel and had to use one hand to press the control button.
• The mats for the Aerobics Class appeared grubby and in need of a deep clean...

 Maintenance was also rated as “fair” and comments included:

• The mat at the front entrance had been taped up and did not give a good first impression
• The light was not working in the foyer of the female Changing Room
• A toilet seat was off in the female toilets
• There was only one hair dryer in the female Changing room and it was out of order...
• At least 25% of lockers in the ladies Changing Room had no key or pins
• In several location around the Centre you could see where items had been taken down off the wall and not replace. This left unsightly holes and a different colour paint
•  Lots of ceiling tiles were displaced in the Sports Hall ceiling
• The seal in the window in the bar appeared broken and therefore they appeared to be a build of condensation forming 
• There  was  one  baby  changing  unit  in  the  female  toilet  and  it  was  out  of  order...

Full report on the scheduled (as opposed to mystery) quality inspection of Perdiswell in March 2011.

 Worcester Pool Quality Inspection Visits

The Mystery visits took place on the 6^th and 12^th March 2011 and rated cleaning as 3 (good) and maintenance as 2 (fair). Among the issues noted in the report were:

• The glazing around the Centre needed cleaning particularly between the Fitness Suite and the Main Pool
• The vents by the Spa and Steam Room were dirty
• There were two light diffusers missing in the Dance Studio
• There were holes in the ceiling above the vending machines where previous fittings had been removed
• The wooden slats above the comment box prior to the Changing Area were stained
•  There were several spot lights out in the ceiling above the Vending Area
•  A piece of film had peeled off on the first glazed unit in the Spectator Gallery
•  In the Male Toilets, one of the toilet roll holder covers was loose
• The floor tiles were coming up in the Disabled Toilet on the first floor
• One of the vent covers was missing in the seating area to the Teaching Pool
• One of the vent covers was missing over the Teaching Pool
• There were some minor cracks to the windows overlooking the Teaching Pool
• A light was out in the rest area by the Steam Room
•  The paint had peeled of the ceiling over the Steam Room
• The Spa was out of action
• The Sauna Door was dragging on the tiled floor as it was opened and closed the Sauna cabin was quite blackened inside.

Scheduled quality inspections of Worcester Pool took place on two days in April 2011. The Full report (as opposed to mystery visit report) noted with regard to cleaning:

•  When interviewed the team were unclear as to how the overnight cleaning was managed and they had yet to define standards or health and safety guidelines for this aspect of the cleaning programme.
•  As per the facility inspection process it was noted that there were quite a few omissions within the completed cleaning records. In addition it would seem that the team do not require the contract cleaning to document anything so no records were available for review.
• The team do not have records of any deep of high level cleans that have taken place.
• The cleaning programmes in place require the Duty Manager to sign to confirm that they have been reviewed but it would seem that this does not happen very often.
•  There is no structured review in place for the overnight cleaning programme.

 Under Plant and Equipment operates efficiently and effectively.

 Areas of plant and equipment noted out of action or faulty at the time of the Assessment and Mystery Visit included

• Diving boards have been decommissioned for some time
• Jacuzzi now out of action for around 18 months
• Sauna faulty at time of mystery visit
• Learner pool circulation pump out of action for about 4 months
• Customer lift currently out of service
• Spectator seating in poor condition with many missing seats.

•  Although the team have a system in place neither of the two verbal comments made during MV were documented, which may suggest that additional training is required in this area.

 Under Staff arrangements conform to legal requirements.

•  A review of the rota highlighted several shifts where late to early shifts had less than 11 hours rest time in between them. Due to an anomaly in the rota one of the Duty Managers currently does a 15 hour shift on a regular basis.

 Under Staff development is an important part of the Business Planning process.

•  Much of the Staff development work undertaken seems to link to driving income or meeting statutory requirements. Whilst this is commendable, areas such as personal development or management development does seem to be overlooked.

 Under The Business Plan links to local and national strategies and agendas.

•  There does not seem to be any formal links to the client (City Council) and there does not seem to be any consultation on the process between the two organisations. In the main the current Business Plan seems a very internal document and only focuses on the key financial elements of operating the Centre with little thought to any community engagement.

 What Happened After Receipt of the Quality Inspection Reports?

Minutes of Client / Contract meetings were requested and those from March to July show very limited discussion on the quality inspection reports, which also do not feature at all in the Contract Report submitted to the meetings.

Of course, the inspection reports may have been discussed elsewhere, but it seems strange that remedial action for the deficiencies noted in what is intended to assist quality improvement  were not planned, recorded and reviewed at regular intervals at the Contract Meetings. Some of the issues are addressed in the minutes, but piecemeal.

Especially given one of the findings was the need for the two organisations to work more closely, where is the joint strategy to ensure a better service for users and good value for the Council?  I can also see no mention of penalties. Is this because the contract does not allow for them or because the Council chooses not to pursue better performance in this way with LC/Harpers? (Minutes and contractor reports were posted on What Do They Know on September 5 and 6)

Conclusion & Current Issues

While I was pleased to see Environmental Health / H&S and Quality Inspectors picking up issues, what prevented LC/Harpers from doing its job when many of the issues could be seen by anyone who walked around with open eyes? And   many items should have been picked by regular monitoring visits by staff from the Council’s Leisure Department. Why were the public made to wait so long before an effective inspection took place?

A user of Worcester Pool was in touch with me last month (September 2011). He claims the following issues bother him:

The ENTIRE changing village needs to be cleaned. The floor is really horrible. The cubicles themselves are pretty well kept, but the floor is just terrible.

Ventilation levels in the men’s toilets is poor. There are no exhaust fans or vents in or near the urinals or toilets.

Lighting in the toilets are terrible. Both in the men's on the ground floor and health suite. And poor lighting in steam room as one fitting has not worked for ages. Plus way to Jacuzzi is dark.

As ever, LCW offers LC/Harpers the opportunity to insert here a link to the any statement they wish to make in response to this report.

Background to the FOI Request

There was a time when I thought Worcester City Council must have written good leisure contracts and be monitoring effectively because no bad news reached Leisure Connection Watch from there since 2004. Then in June 2011 came a chance encounter with someone who used Worcester Swimming Pool. She was not a happy customer, but like many others had not got round to complaining. Our brief meeting prompted a check of local papers on line and a search the City Council website. As nothing touched on the performance of LC / Harpers Fitness, I asked what files existed and then made a Freedom of Information request to the Council. 

The results of that request leads me to question the competence of the City Council in ensuring reasonable standards are delivered by LC/Harpers. As well as the issues around cleaning and maintenance found in so many other centres run by the company, there was also a major breach of Health & Safety that prompted an Inspector not only to write H&S improvement notices but also to question the qualifications of the person leading on health and safety at the head office of LC/Harpers. PB 9.10.11

From Audit Commission Inspection Report January 2004 "Property Management & Facilities Management Worcester City Council" http://www.audit-commission.gov.uk/Products/BVIR/670BD8C4-843A-487e-93D5-F34B49045C38/WorcesterPropertyMngt.pdf 

61 Two of the council’s leisure facilities have received a high, 8/10 rating for maintenance in Quest assessments. These high quality facilities are at Nunnery Wood and St John’s sports centres. The other two leisure centres, Worcester Swimming Pool at Sansome Walk and Perdiswell, are in much poorer condition. The council has tackled this by negotiating a partnership arrangement with a private sector company, Leisure Connection, who will invest in upgrading sports facilities across the city.

62 Our reality check to Worcester Swimming Pool showed a lack of customer focus. The car park has recently been refurbished, but a narrow strip from the car park to the centre has been left untouched and is in poor condition. We were told in a focus group that this has been reported, but nothing has been done. The lighting along this path is also poor, with one light at each end of the passageway. It is understood that this area is now the responsibility of the new private sector company and both council and contractor must ensure that customer concerns are addressed in a timely fashion.

Further information on the "cleanliness" or any other issues, such as price increases (see below) are invited from centre users. PB

Monthly opportunities to quiz operators on the running of the City’s swimming pool and Perdiswell Sports centre are due to continue following Leisure Connection’s second ‘customer forum’ at the Sansome Walk baths this week.

“We held two well-attended sessions and I also took a number of calls throughout the day, out of which several very good ideas emerged from regular users” commented Leisure Connection’s locally-based Contracts Manager Steve Huxtable who’s been in control of improvements at both locations since £3 million upgrading and renovation works began in the summer following a 101/2-year management deal between the City Council and the Hertfordshire-based sports management company.

“Issues involving communications, changing facilities, cleanliness, external access, lighting, signage and concessions were all voiced by regulars of the pool and I was able to answer most – if not quite all – of their questions. It was a valuable two-way exercise that we’re keen to see continue, and we will be acting on all of the suggestions put forward by those who voiced a concern” he commented.

As a direct result of this week’s two ‘open door’ sessions – the first held with early morning swimmers at 8am and the second at 7pm – Leisure Connection is already taking steps to improve monitoring during the change-over from early-morning sessions to the first school’s visit, and is also putting in hand the siting of five new information boards to promote improved communications. 

More prominent signage to men’s and women’s toilet and shower facilities is also set to be implemented prior to the baths’ formal re-opening on February 1st and concessions for over-65’s as well as opportunities to pay subscriptions in cash rather than direct debit are being put in hand following specific requests from regulars.

According to Steve Huxtable, original concerns over the pool’s dual-use changing facilities have also been allayed now that users have had the opportunity to see the changing suites for themselves – though, he adds, the company is in the process of raising cubicle partitions as the result of an earlier forum with users.

The City Council’s recently appointed Leisure Champion Neil Monkhouse has hailed the initiative as ‘a major nod in the direction of effective public relations…’

11.10.02  OAP'S SWIM PRICE FURY from http://www.thisisworcestershire.co.uk/worcestershire/archive/2002/10/11/wen_news_latest25ZM.html  

PENSIONERS and youngsters have been hit in the pocket by bosses at a city swimming pool, who have increased prices by up to 50 per cent. Until this week, the cost of a concessionary swim at Sansome Walk Swimming Pool was automatically £1.20 for all children, students and pensioners. This has now been scrapped.

The new rate will still be £1.20 for people on a low income, such as those claiming JobSeeker's Allowance. If not, the cost is £1.80 if the swimmer has bought a £5 annual advantage card, and without the card it is £2.40 - the same as a non-concessionary swim.

For youngsters whose parents are on a low income the charge remains £1.20. With an advantage card it is £1.80, but without it, the price rockets to £2.40.

"One source at the swimming pool has told me attendance has already dropped," said pensioner John Pedley, who swims three times a week... The price of an adult swim has not increased at all, but pensioners and children use the pool the most and they are being targeted. This is an appalling increase."

The price rise caught Mr Pedley unaware as he said there were no warning notices at the pool... "They do offer one back-handed concession in that if you buy an annual pass the tickets are £1.80 per swim, but that is still a 50 per cent increase." ...

Nigel Mansfield, sport and recreation manager at Worcester City Council, said the overhaul was in line with the Audit Commission guidelines. "Some people in higher education and over 60 are not on low incomes, but if you are, then you will get a reduction to £1.20. If not, then you still get 25 per cent off."

Leisure Connection, which is responsible for the running of the pool, was unavailable for comment at the time of going to press.