Health & Wellbeing Coaches
Health & Wellbeing Coaches work in GP practices and are part of the NHS. They are here to give you extra support to achieve your health goals, such as stopping smoking, losing weight or being more active.
How do I refer to a health and wellbeing coach?
Not all GP practices have Health and Wellbeing Coaches.
If you're interested in this service, please contact your GP to find out if this service is open to you and to request a referral.
If you work in Newham and want to refer someone to a Health and Wellbeing Coach, the following practices accept referrals from professionals on behalf of a resident:
If your practice doesn't have a Health and Wellbeing Coach yet, Social Prescribers may be able to help by referring you to a service, such as Live Well Newham, which supports people to meet their weight and physical activity goals, and signposting you to services in the community.
What do Health & Wellbeing Coaches do?
Health & Wellbeing Coaches are here to support you to achieve your health goals, such as:
- Stopping smoking
- Losing weight
- Being more active
- Changing the way you eat
They are here to help you improve your knowledge, confidence and skills so that you are more likely to achieve your health goals.
Health & Wellbeing Coaches create a safe space for people to talk without judgement. Health and Wellbeing Coaches can provide some accountability and motivation to help patients to stick with, and reach their goals.
Hear Mrs K's story
Mrs K attended her first appointment presenting with a number of issues, including high blood pressure and a high BMI weight.
She was feeling overwhelmed and anxious, particularly about her weight and health. She explained that she was snapping at her family and had no time to exercise.
The Health and Wellbeing Coach worked with her to create a safe space where she could explore her emotional, social and medical worries.
They spent time brainstorming activities to help her to manage these feelings and identifying the things that trigger her stresses.
As a result of working together Mrs K ….
- Lowered her blood pressure and BMI
- Started using the Active 10 app to track her daily walking
- Makes time to rest
- Independently applied for a new job
- Was able to apply her new skills in stressful times (including a bereavement)
- Needed fewer GP appointments as she learnt to self-manage her health
Hear Miriam's story
Miriam is a 28-year-old mum of three children. She was desperate to lose weight but needed some advice and support. When she first met with a Health and Wellbeing Coach in May when she weighed 100kgs, and her waist circumference was 97cm.
Miriam had six 45 minute sessions with the Health and Wellbeing Coach where they focused on small changes Miriam could make that would fit into her lifestyle.
There were a couple of changes she could easily do, such as setting a regular time three times each week, when the kids were out, to use her treadmill for an hour. Previously, she had only used it when she remembered to.
Another change Miriam made was being more aware of how much she was eating (portion sizes) and eating earlier in the evening, when her children were eating their dinner. She also made sure she had had lots of vegetables in her meals.
At the last of her six appointments in September, Miriam weighed just over 91kg, and her waist circumference was 87cm. To help her understand how much weight she lost, she went to her local supermarket and lifted a 10kg bag of rice.. She was so delighted with her achievement.