A new 10-week pilot is giving people free access to quick, self-service health checks at Crook Log Leisure Centre in Bexleyheath, London. Delivered by Lex Leisure and Parkwood Leisure in partnership with SISU Health, the initiative is already helping users uncover potential health risks and take appropriate next steps, with an average of 69 checks completed each day during its first week.
Crook Log turns everyday leisure visits into opportunities for early detection
Visitors to Crook Log Leisure Centre can now use the SISU Health Station and SISU MINI to check key health metrics and receive immediate, personalised guidance on appropriate next steps.
The pilot brings preventative health into a familiar, high-footfall community setting, creating an opportunity to reach people who may not routinely engage with traditional health checks or realise they are living with an underlying risk.
The health stations provide a very quick and user-friendly way for visitors to check the status of their health and be guided towards appropriate support. We’ve got a really large footfall at Crook Log, so it’s the perfect location to reach large numbers of people living across Bexleyheath.
Katie Buckley, Head of Health and Wellbeing at Parkwood Leisure
Two health station formats widen access across Crook Log
Using both the SISU Health Station and MINI ensures health checks are accessible to people with different mobility and support requirements.
The SISU Health Station is positioned in the main foyer, where it is visible to people heading towards the changing rooms, fitness facilities and swimming pool. Its location places health awareness directly within the everyday experience of visiting the centre.
The MINI is located upstairs in the Steps to Health office, alongside Crook Log’s exercise referral programmes and ShapeMaster facilities. It can be reached by lift and provides an alternative for people who may be unable to use the Health Station.
Together, the two formats remove practical barriers to taking part while making checks available to a broad range of centre users. This supports Parkwood Leisure’s wider commitment to reducing health inequalities.
Having both the Health Station and MINI means nobody’s excluded… There’s no strict eligibility or exclusion criteria like you have with other programmes.
Crook Log links health checks with existing support services
After completing a private, self-guided check, users receive immediate information about their results.
Where a potential concern is identified, the station can recommend an appropriate next step. Users can also be signposted towards relevant health, wellbeing and physical activity services at Crook Log Leisure Centre or directed towards their GP or health service provider depending on the findings.
This creates a practical pathway from identifying a risk to taking action.
Locating the MINI within the Steps to Health office strengthens that pathway by placing health checks alongside Crook Log’s exercise referral programme.
The signposting functionality is great. It means we can promote our internal services and programmes which our member base might not already be aware of.
Early checks are already uncovering hidden health risks
The first week of the pilot shows both strong demand for the service and its potential to identify people who may need further support.
First-week highlights include:
- 69 health checks completed per day on average
- 15% received a recommendation to contact their GP
The GP call-to-action figure is particularly significant. It shows that the pilot is doing more than generating interest: it is identifying people who may have potentially serious health risks.
For someone who feels well, remains active or does not regularly monitor their health, that prompt could provide an important opportunity to seek advice before the problem becomes more serious.
If those are people who are not regularly tracking their health, there is the potential that you’re saving lives.
Pilot data will show who Crook Log is reaching and what support they need
The anonymised health and usage data will help Lex Leisure and Parkwood Leisure build a clearer picture of who is using the service, when they are engaging and which forms of support may be most relevant.
The level of granular detail is outstanding. Over the 10-week pilot, it’s going to tell us when the stations are being used, the demographics of users and the programmes most relevant to them.
These insights can help Parkwood Leisure improve signposting, strengthen existing services and make more informed decisions about future health and wellbeing provision.
They will also provide evidence of the wider role leisure centres can play in prevention – not only creating opportunities to be active, but identifying hidden risk and connecting people with timely support.
The amount of data that we’re getting can inform continuous improvement, not to mention demonstrate the difference those services make.
The pilot will measure action, not only participation
Over the remainder of the pilot, Parkwood Leisure and Lex Leisure will assess whether the strong initial participation continues and whether users return to monitor changes in their health.
The team will also look beyond the number of completed checks to understand whether people act on their results, improve important health measures and take up the services to which they are signposted.
What does good look like? Continued and consistent high use of the machines; improved health outcomes – people taking action as a result of what they’ve been told and, for example, lowering their blood pressure – and increased uptake of the signposted support services.
Turn everyday visits into opportunities for earlier action
Crook Log’s early results show how placing self-service health checks within a busy leisure centre can turn routine visits into opportunities to uncover hidden risk and prompt appropriate action.
SISU Health helps leisure providers, local authorities and community organisations reach more people through accessible health checks, connected support pathways and population health insight.
For Lex Leisure and Parkwood Leisure, the combination of accessibility, connected support and detailed health insight was central to selecting SISU Health for their pilot.
We’ve looked at a number of different health assessments and health check solutions to either partner with or make available to our members. But SISU Health really stood out.
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