Everybody Health and Leisure has partnered with CoverMe to streamline staffing processes across their nine pools in Cheshire East.

The sheer scale of Everybody Health and Leisure’s Learn to Swim programme - 1,833 swimming classes per week delivered by 159 regular swimming teachers across its pools - meant even a minor disruption due to staff absence had a major ripple effect. Following some process changes, including the implementation of CoverMe, the leisure trust’s 11,000 weekly learners (1,276 babies, 9,153 children and 166 adults) are experiencing a reduction in class cancellations.

For Everybody Health and Leisure’s Swim Leads, who manage the programme and coordinate the 159 team members, the CoverMe app has also improved cross-site collaboration. This means teachers are now more willing to travel to other Everybody centres to provide cover for lessons.

Previously, Swim Leads relied on WhatsApp messages, phone calls and Teams chats to source cover when a teacher called in sick or took annual leave. Jodie Jones, Everybody Health and Leisure’s Aquatics Manager says: “The process was time-consuming, inconsistent and heavily reliant on the Swim Leads at each centre. Some of our centres have up to nine classes running in the pool simultaneously, which creates an even bigger headache when you’re looking for last-minute cover, as many of the regular teachers are already teaching. Luckily, because any cancellations were spread across so many classes, customers didn’t generally experience the frustration of back-to-back cancellations, but it did have a financial impact on our business.”

Everybody Health and Leisure had been successfully using CoverMe to source group fitness class cover for just eight months before the app rolled out to the Aquatics team. With Level 2 Swim Teachers and Level 1 Swim Teacher Assistants now onboarded, aquatics cover opportunities can also be listed and picked up by staff in one central place.

Jones continues: “We’ve already seen a significant reduction in cancellations and a huge time saving for our for Swim Leads, who now spend less time on cover coordination. It has also made it easier to encourage staff to teach across sites, picking up lessons outside of their regular location. Previously teachers tended to stick to their ‘home’ centre, but now they are seeing teaching opportunities pop up on the app they are volunteering to travel between sites.”

Although only five months into implementation, Everybody Health and Leisure’s Aquatics team is already reaping the benefits of CoverMe. The app has improved operational efficiency, reduced financial losses and encouraged cross-site collaboration – all within its existing pool of teachers.