Health Coach

Develop and maintain effective relationships with other statutory and non-statutory services, ensuring that patients can easily move between services and community resources to access additional support. Seek regular feedback about the quality of service and impact of Health Coaching on referral agencies. Be proactive across the network of practices to promote health and wellbeing coaching, its role in self-management, addressing health inequalities and the wider determinants of health to the multi-disciplinary practice teams to encourage referrals, ensuring staff understand how to refer and what support will be provided to individuals. Ensure referrals are responded to in a timely manner, communicating with referrers when necessary, enabling confidence in the service and ensuring patients receive a prompt response.
Identify and engage effectively in a non-judgemental and respectful manner with members of the community from all backgrounds, abilities and ages, listening and interpreting complex health information into understandable terms about health and health improvement. Conduct an assessment of an individuals circumstances and challenges to determine the nature and extent of their non-clinical needs. Looking at their abilities and preferences, thinking laterally and then advising and supporting them in a variety of areas/activities being and sensitive to barriers to adopting a healthier lifestyle such as affordability, accessibility and life circumstances. Use motivational/coaching skills to encourage people in choices and actions that are acceptable and achievable to them both short term and long term, while being aware of cultural and social considerations in regard people's lifestyles.
This will include accompanying individuals to activities to develop their confidence. Support people to recognise and change their current lifestyle and to identify how their way of life might affect their health and well-being. Seek advice from the patients GP or practice lead GP as appropriate. Ensure patients and their families/carers views are taken into account in every stage of the decision making process.
Develop strong links with local VCSE organisations, community and neighbourhood level groups using their networks to have an up to date menu of options available locally. Be proactive in the community and patient network to encourage referrals from a range of professionals, from patients, their families and carers and local organisations. Be responsible for the promotion of the service via patient groups, local network groups, websites and other media. Be enthusiastic, driven and passionate about making patients futures brighter.