interview
Medical Wellness
LAURA KERBY
The MD of Nuffield Health Fitness & Wellbeing – Nuffield Health’s consumer health club division – talks to Kate Cracknell about outcome data and a truly holistic approach
W
ith the importance of demonstrable outcomes being promoted across the fitness industry,
Nuffield Health is leading by example. An advertising campaign launched in September headlines with the statement that: “Seven out of 10 members got healthier and fitter with us. Fact” – and it’s a statement that, as managing director Laura Kerby is quick to stress, is indeed backed up by scientific fact. Every member who comes through
Nuffi eld’s doors is offered a Health MOT. Launched two years ago, this comprises a set of tests covering everything from blood pressure and cholesterol to BMI and VO2
max.
Based on the results of the MOT, each individual is then given a health score: a percentage rating of their wellbeing (see HCM Sept 10, p32). If their score
‘Meet the experts’ sessions have engaged 38,000 members since they were launched in early 2010
has improved in a second MOT three months later, members are offered rewards: a free month’s membership, for example, or free PT sessions. “A total of 36,000 people have now
gone through a second MOT, which gives us a strong body of evidence showing how the programmes we’ve designed for them have helped improve their scores,” says Kerby. “For example, 30 per cent of people reduced their cholesterol; 58 per cent lost weight and reduced their BMI; 73 per cent improved their aerobic fi tness; 50 per cent of men and 43 per cent of women reduced their waist size; and 71 per cent increased their overall health score. “We could have said nine out of 10
members, as most people have seen a few areas of improvement, but this is proper clinical evidence – clinically signifi cant changes – ratifi ed by our medical director and signed off by Nuffi eld Health. “If the industry tries to copy our
message, we will challenge them and ask for proof. Because we’re serious about what we’re trying to do with
this. It’s not about promotion – it’s about proving outcomes.”
member motivation Kerby continues: “By the end of this
year, we will have done the best part of 65,000–70,000 Health MOTs. That’s 52 per cent of our membership base. We’re seeing a significant uplift in people wanting second MOTs too: about 38 per cent of members have had those. “The MOTs enable us to engage with
customers in a different way, providing a more meaningful and compelling reason to exercise. People are motivated when they fi rst join a gym and start to feel a bit better, but they then disengage when changes aren’t quite as dramatic. At Nuffi eld Health, we can continually show them the difference they’re making to their health: their BMI, body composition, blood pressure, cholesterol, glucose level and so on. That’s far more motivating, and our retention for this year has improved by six percentage points. “We’re also growing as a business – we
have an extra 8,000 members using our facilities and have grown our clinical services too, so our revenue growth is going to be about 12 per cent.”
a holistic offering The growth of the clinical services
offering has been a key focus for Nuffield Health over the last couple of years, with a roll-out of health clinics to create integrated wellbeing centres (see HCM Jan 09, p34). Typically comprising four or five rooms, these on-site clinics house GPs, physiotherapists, physiologists and a pathology lab. Across the 51-strong portfolio, 15 centres now have a clinic; by the end of the year, the aim is to have reached half of the estate. Members receive a discount on clinical services, but these are also
30 Read Health Club Management online at
healthclubmanagement.co.uk/digital november/december 2011 © cybertrek 2011
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