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Health and Wellbeing Coach

Health and Wellbeing Coaches are part of the ‘Universal Personalised Care’ team working in Primary Care services. Personalised Care is part of a social strategy to tackle health inequalities through communities rather than relying solely on referrals to specialist secondary healthcare, which can take a long time and might not always be needed. The Personalised Care team includes this role, Social Prescribing Link Workers and Care Coordinators.

Operating out of GP practices, or community organisations working on behalf of the NHS, Health and Wellbeing Coaches support people with their physical and mental health and wellbeing. Using coaching skills, they support people to meet their own personal goals to make lifestyle changes and improve their health. Issues that a Health and Wellbeing Coach supports people to tackle include: 

  • weight 
  • diet 
  • activity levels 
  • stress, mood, low level mental health issues 
  • diabetes 
  • cardiovascular disease 
  • stroke 
  • hypertension 
  • end of life care 
  • persistent pain 

Health and Wellbeing Coaches deliver one to one coaching sessions and can also coach through groups of people which can encourage community based peer support groups. 

Responsibilities

As a Health and Wellbeing Coach you will: 

  • encourage people to take control of their own healthcare  
  • engage people and support them to understand how to manage own healthcare 
  • promote positive lifestyle changes  
  • develop personal health and care plans  
  • deliver one to one and group sessions on good health practice  
  • adopt a multidisciplinary approach to care, ensuring all patients’ needs are met 
  • proactively target certain groups in society who need more support 

Skills

To become a Health and Wellbeing Coach you will need to show: 

  • knowledge of coaching practices 
  • ability to use coaching skills to support and motivate people with a wide range of health and wellbeing needs 
  • strong interpersonal skills with the ability to listen actively and build excellent rapport with people from all backgrounds 
  • knowledge of healthy lifestyle and wellbeing activities 
  • ability to work well with others and enjoy it 
  • good IT skills e.g., ability to use Microsoft Office (including Excel, Word, Outlook and PowerPoint)  
  • excellent communication skills 
  • excellent organisation, planning and time management skills 
  • ability to collect and record data  
  • customer service skills 
  • ability to use your initiative 
  • you enjoy working with other people 
  • sensitivity and understanding 
  • administration skills 

Salary

The average salary in the UK is around £26,200, but you can expect entry level positions to start on around £23,500 and with experience go up to around £31,000 per year. The pay does depend on your experience, where you work in the UK, and the company you work for i.e., NHS Primary Care Trust or community organisation.  

Working hours

Typical working hours are 37.5 per week, but this can vary and there are part-time positions available.  

Employers

There are various places a Health and Wellbeing Coach could work, for example: 

  • within a GP practice  
  • in a hospital setting  
  • Hospices 
  • within local community centres  
  • for local housing organisations  

Work experience

Experience of working with people in community settings whether paid or unpaid. This could also include ‘lived experiences’ of some of the health and well-being issues within communities.

What to expect

  • Working with people within community settings 
  • Working alongside healthcare professionals within Primary Care Networks 
  • Working with local community groups and organisations to identify activities to benefit people 
  • Working with people who are experiencing a number health and well-being issues 

Career Progression

With appropriate training you could progress into one of the other Universal Personalised Care roles – Social Prescribing Link Worker or Care Coordinator. 

There are also opportunities to develop a specialism – for example working with children and families, working in specific community setting such as housing associations, or organisations with a focus mental health and well-being. 

An experienced Health and Wellbeing Coach could progress into management roles. 

The experience of working with people in healthcare could also provide a springboard into the health professions through degree apprenticeships. For example, Mental Health Nursing or Occupational Therapy. Degree level study would require a Level 3 qualification. 

NHS Jobs NHS Health Careers

How do I become a Health and Well-being Coach?

On the whole, there are no common entry requirements (other than ‘a good standard of education’) for this role because your work and life experience, personal qualities and values are generally more important than qualifications. However, some employers can ask for a degree in a relevant area or an equivalent level of experience. 

Health and Wellbeing Coaches can come from a range of care experiences including voluntary and community work. It is a role that could also benefit from workers who have had a ‘lived experiences’ of some of the issues people face e.g., experience of being active in the community involvement and/or people from community groups including those with disabilities. Recently, the pandemic showed that there were a huge number of people who were willing to support others by joining the ‘army of volunteers’ and working as stewards at testing centres or vaccinators in vaccination centres or deliverers of food to the most vulnerable.  

However, to take referrals and start coaching you will need: 

  • a coaching qualification (already qualified or in training and registered on a course, approved by the Personalised Care Institute)  
  • The minimum training requirement for Health and Wellbeing Coaches is a Personalised Care Institute (PCI) approved four day course
Personalised Care Institute

Routes to become a Health and Well-being Coach?

  • Already have an approved coaching qualification (approved by Personalised Care Institute) 
  • Be in training and registered on a course (approved by Personalised Care Institute) 
  • Community Health and Wellbeing Working apprenticeship

 

University

A Higher Education qualification is not usually essential (although some employers might ask for it). Either way, this role might appeal to graduates of degrees such as Social Work, Social Policy, Guidance and Counselling, Childhood Studies, Youth & Community Work and any Health related degree. 

NHS Health Careers

Apprenticeship

A Community Health and Wellbeing Worker apprenticeship framework. 

Find an Apprenticeship NHS Jobs Health and Wellbeing Worker Apprenticeship