Quest was first established more than 20 years ago to measure how well a facility is operating and how effective organisations are across a range of topics. Previously aimed primarily at the management of sports and leisure facilities, it defines industry standards and good practice, providing a benchmark for quality and improvement.

Under the management of the sector’s health and safety and quality management expert, Right Directions, since 2010, Quest has steadily evolved to keep pace with the ever-changing sport and leisure landscape. Feedback from recent industry consultation highlighted opportunities to make Quest even more efficient and effective for operators.

Caroline Constantine, managing director of both Right Directions and Sport England’s Quest explains: 'While the existing two-day Quest Plus assessments were thorough, staff told us that increasing day-to-day pressures, combined with preparation for the assessment, could sometimes pull resources away from daily service delivery. Operators asked for a one-day format that still delivers a robust review, with simpler, clearer Mystery Visit questions and greater recognition of community wellbeing outcomes. We listened carefully and have spent the last six months developing an enhanced Quest that is more streamlined, flexible and user-friendly, while maintaining the detail and insight that makes Quest so valuable.

'From January 2026, Quest for Facilities will continue as the sector’s nationally-recognised benchmark for quality, but as a one-day face-to-face assessment of a single facility and its service delivery alongside a mystery visit. Meanwhile, Quest for Active Wellbeing will replace the current Active Communities assessment, focussing on the whole contract or community to demonstrate local impact.'

The independent, evidence-based Quest for Facilities assessment acts as a benchmarking tool for improving site-level quality. It identifies strengths as well as areas for development across all aspects of facility management under six key themes: Continuous Improvement, Empowering the Team, Driving Participation, Customer Delivery and Insights, Operational and Environmental Management, and Compliance Declaration.

The mystery visit includes an in-person site visit and website review, in addition to several telephone calls, emails and social media enquiries, with a focus on operational standards such as cleanliness, safety and maintenance. The customer experience, including the welcome given, professionalism, booking clarity, accessibility, signage and communication is also rated, alongside programming and inclusion for underrepresented groups.

Quest Active Wellbeing is a structured, evidence-based review designed to help organisations deliver inclusive, impactful and community-focused physical activity and wellbeing services. Sarah Lobo, Head of External Accreditations at Right Directions, explains: 'Quest Active Wellbeing is ideal for teams in leisure facilities, community development, wellbeing hubs or outreach services. The assessment helps demonstrate the value of your work, identify opportunities for improvement, and showcases your contribution to wider system priorities like health, equity and social impact, strengthening your team’s effectiveness, accountability and ability to attract investment or support.'

The Quest Active Wellbeing assessment is completed face-to-face in one day, following Quest’s Plan, Do, Measure, Monitor and Review, Impact framework. Teams deliver a presentation, ‘The Value and Impact of Our Work’, before trained reviewers explore six key areas: Purpose, Strategy and Place; People and Workforce; Insight, Data and Evaluation; Partnerships and System Working; Delivery, Access and Inclusion; and Wellbeing, Impact and Sustainability.

Emma Bernstein, Strategic projects lead at Sport England says: 'Quest has always played a vital part in helping to raising standards across the sport and leisure sector, and these updates reflect our commitment to supporting operators in a way that is both impactful and realistic. By streamlining the process and strengthening the focus on community wellbeing, we’re ensuring Quest remains a trusted, modern and meaningful framework that helps facilities and organisations deliver real change for the people they serve.'

 As part of the new Quest, Right Directions is also launching the Quest Place Score in spring 2026, which will combine the assessment results of Quest for Facilities and Quest Active Wellbeing across a local authority to offer a place-based view of performance to help track local trends and strategic planning.

Quest forms part of Sport England’s Moving Communities, which was set up in 2021 to provide data and insights across the sport and leisure sector to help decision-makers maximise the impact of investment in physical activity. The entire Quest system will be integrated into the 4Global Moving Communities dashboard to enable wider industry benchmarking, as well as sitting within the RD-Dash Reporting and Benchmarking platform, where organisations and their teams can analyse and benchmark their own Quest data against others in their estate, as well as national averages.

Operators can still complete their Tackling Inequalities in Leisure Standard, Exercise Referral Standard and Swim England Learn to Swim Accreditation at a reduced cost as part of their Quest for Facilities assessment. The Swim England Learn to Swim Accreditation and Exercise Referral Standard will be partially assessed at the one-day assessment, with the remainder completed online within a two-week window.