Health and Wellbeing Coach

**About the Role**:
Reepham and Aylsham Medical Practice has an exciting opportunity has arisen for a health and wellbeing coach to join us at our two surgeries in the beautiful towns of Reepham and Aylsham in North Norfolk.

We are looking for an individual who will play a role in engaging patients and use health coaching techniques to support them to take an active role in their health and wellbeing. This is a new, developing role and the coach will work alongside our social prescribers and care co-ordinators, as part of our multi-disciplinary team (MDT).

The health and wellbeing coach is responsible for:

- delivering group and one-to-one sessions to improve patient health outcomes
- playing a critical role in engaging patients and encouraging them to recognise the benefits of making changes
- helping to shape and develop the role, based on their particular passion such as, healthy eating, physical activity, improving mental health, etc., using health coaching techniques
- working closely with those of low to medium complexity who will usually have one or more long term conditions
- identification of people with long term conditions, needing skills and confidence to manage their health and wellbeing
- providing support (clinical or non-clinical) to a cohort of patients who will benefit from proactive health management and care, including being the single point of contact for the person or carer to simplify access and coordination of services
- teaching and supporting patients and their carers to understand and manage their own conditions, whilst maintaining an independent lifestyle, through health-coaching techniques, to encourage patient activation
- supporting the development of personalised patient care plans, liaising with the practice team, patient/carer and the complex care team as appropriate
- proactively supporting practice targets for number of patients who have seen a health coach
- proactively reaching-out to patients on a regular and agreed basis
- playing an active role in MDT meetings if required (regular practice meetings to discuss high risk and complex patients) by gathering information and being prepared to update the team on patient progress towards goals, as per their care plan
- coordinating patient visits to primary, care amongst the primary care team, ensuring efficient and effective visits for the patient cohort
- mapping and connecting community activities and resources at a locality level, including supporting the development of a network of community health champions
- Supporting the delivery of community-based public health initiatives, such as physical activity, healthy eating and social connectedness
- building and maintaining strong links with the voluntary sector, supporting the voluntary and statutory sector to network, and improve partnership working
- contributing to keeping the community directory up-to-date for their allocated area
- supporting delivery of systematic self-care support plans for those with COPD, diabetes and multiple long-term conditions
- managing the effective use of available resources and services, in order to provide constant standards of care in terms of both quality and quantity
- adopting a multi-disciplinary and multi-agency approach to care, ensuring that all aspects of the patients’ needs are met
- understanding when it is appropriate or necessary to refer people to other health professionals or agencies
- ensuring the patient record is accurately updated and maintained
- managing waiting lists if appropriate
- understanding the barriers, for individuals and groups, to accessing support in the community, and using this insight to develop community-based support, working as part of the wider social prescribing model
- promote the service within the primary care network (PCN), both for users and clinicians, building positive working relationships
- contributing to, and working with, others to organise awareness-raising events for services that help support people to improve their health and wellbeing
- communicating effectively with colleagues, patients and carers, so that information is shared in order to meet patients’ needs
- helping to raise the local population’s awareness of the support groups and opportunities available to assist them in achieving their health and wellbeing goals.

**Knowledge and Skills**

Essential:

- Able to build and maintain relationships whilst maintaining appropriate professional boundaries
- Understanding of the determinants of health to include social, economic and environmental factors
- Understanding of, and commitment to, equality, diversity and inclusion

Desirable:

- Knowledge of public health issues in the local area
- Knowledge and experience of training volunteers
- Knowledge of the needs of patients with long term conditions
- Knowledge of community development approaches

**Qualifications**

Essential:

- Educated to GCSE or equivalent
- Demonstrable commitment to professional and personal d