Health and wellbeing coaches predominately use health coaching skills to support people with lower levels of patient activation to develop the knowledge, skills, and confidence to manage their health and wellbeing, whilst increasing their ability to access and utilise community support offers. They may also provide access to self-management education, peer support, and social prescribing.
Health and wellbeing coaches will take an approach that considers the whole person in addressing existing issues and encourages proactive prevention of new and existing illnesses. They will take an approach that is non-judgemental, based on strong communication and negotiation skills, that supports personal choice and positive risk taking, that addresses potential consequences, and ensures patients understand the accountability of their own decisions.
Health and wellbeing coaches will:
- Coach and motivate patients through multiple sessions to identify their needs, set goals, and support them to implement their personalised health and care plan
- Provide personalised support to individuals, their families and carers to ensure that they are active participants in their own healthcare; empowering them to take more control in manging their own health and wellbeing, to live independently, and improve their health outcomes through:
- providing interventions such as self-management education and peer support; and
- supporting people to establish and attain goals set by the person based on what is
- important to them, building on goals that are important to the individual; and
- working with the social prescribing service to connect them to community-based activities which support their health and wellbeing
- Provide support to local community groups and work with other health, social care and voluntary sector providers to support the patients’ health and well-being holistically
- Ensure that fellow PCN staff are made aware of health coaching and social prescribing services and support colleagues to improve their skills and understanding of personalised care, behavioural approaches, and ensuring consistency in the follow up of people’s goals where an MDT is involved
- Raise awareness within the PCN of shared decision making and decision support tools and supporting people in shared decision-making conversations
- Work with people with lower activation to understand their level of knowledge, skills and confidence (their “Activation” level) when engaging with their health and wellbeing
- Explore and support access to a personal health budget, where appropriate, for their care and support
- Utilise existing IT and MDT channels to screen patients, with an aim to identify those that would benefit from health coaching
The Personalised Care Institute sets out what training is available and expected for Health and Wellbeing Coaches.
Health and Wellbeing Coaches will be required to be trained in health coaching in line with the NHS England and NHS Improvement summary guide. This includes understanding the basics of social prescribing, plus 4-day health coaching training with regular supervision from health coaching mentor.
Individuals with clinical or non-clinical experience can train to become care coordinators, however experience working in a health and social environment is essential, e.g. receptionist, HCA.
Information about training providers who are approved to deliver training by the PCI and those awaiting accreditation:
Personalised Care Institute - Accredited Training
- The Personalised Care Institute provides training webinars for SPLWs, Health Coaches and Care Coordinators. Please see their website for further details.
- NHS England provides welcome packs designed for newly appointed health and wellbeing coaches and care coordinators in primary care
- Join NHS Futures Health and Wellbeing Coaches Collaboration Platform to become a member.
