JOB PURPOSE: Health trainers contribute to tackling inequalities in health through promoting and supporting people to develop healthier behaviours and lifestyles in the context of their own local communities. It focuses on engaging with individuals in communities and offering them practical support to change their behaviour to achieve their own choices and goals. Health trainers will be a practical resource to help connect people into services at a local level. The work will focus on communities who are marginalised and who experience the greatest inequalities in health. Health trainers are not expected to have specialist knowledge in any one area of health / illness.

The Health Trainer Locality Lead will:

• support the health trainers within a defined geographical area to
• establish links with local groups and activities which operate in the defined area
• engage with local people with the aim of identifying those most affected by inequalities in health who would like to see a health trainer
• liaise with local agencies to arrange placements for one to one sessions with clients
• coordinate the work of health trainers and support them in practice
• undertake one to one interviews with clients to support them to develop a personal health action plan and make the health changes of their choice
• manage and organise their time and activities to support individuals in the community.
• provide supervision in the workplace for existing health trainers
• develop and maintain links with the local health improvement teams.

Health trainers will be supported in their work by:

• supervision/line management by the Programme Coordinator
• direct contacts with the locality health improvement team
• other Senior/Health Trainers.

The Health Trainer Locality Lead will also have a client case load.

JOB DIMENSIONS:

(e.g. budgetary or supervisory responsibilities)

The locality lead will be expected to manage Health Trainer resources effectively and support Health Trainers to do the same. Some supervision of health trainers will also be required.

There will be no budgetary responsibilities

ORGANISATION CHART:

1. Take the lead for a geographical locality and provide supervision and support for a defined number of health trainers

2. Support the health trainers in developing an understanding the nature of and engage with local communities which have identified health inequalities.

3. Raise the profile of health trainers with local workers including health professionals.

4. Organise locality meetings and support the health trainer manager in the day to day management of the service.

5. Alert manager about any issues in work including concerns about individuals or work in the community and seek support and advice as appropriate

6. Identify and make contact with people within the local community ensuring ongoing communications and action these as appropriate and provide support for other health trainers within the locality in this area of work.

7. Work with existing groups and support the development of new groups in order to identify and engage with individuals

8. Develop and maintain relationships with individuals who are experiencing the greatest inequalities in health and support health trainers in this area of work

9. Promote the equality and value the diversity of individuals

10. Build up and maintain knowledge of contacts within the community using appropriate retrieval systems

11. Communicate with individuals about health and health improvement including behaviour change methods to help people achieve and sustain lasting health improvement

12. Provide and receive information where there may be barriers to understanding and or which may be sensitive in nature.

13. Provide information to individuals about the relationship between behaviours and health.

14. Enable individuals to develop their knowledge and skills about health and wellbeing.

15. Signpost individuals to other agencies for information, support and resources, maintaining an adequate supply of locally appropriate resources for use by individuals.

16. Enable individuals to change their behaviour to improve their health.

17. Help individuals identify how their behaviour and context might affect their health and wellbeing.

18. Help individuals develop a personal health plan to make the changes they want to after undertaking an initial assessment of their position exploring different available options.

19. Support individuals in achieving their personal health plan.

20. Support individuals in maintaining their behaviour change.

21. Help individuals to access and use local services.

22. Manage and organise own time and activities to support individuals in the community including the co-ordination of resources between agencies where appropriate.

23. Plan own time and activities around the needs of individuals in the community.

24. Respond effectively to referrals - self-referrals from the individuals, and those from colleagues /other workers.

25. Keep adequate records of the work undertaken as agreed with line manager.

26. Alert line manager to any issues in work (including concerns about individuals or work in the community).

27. Inform line manager of ways in which local services can be improved to improve the health and wellbeing of the local community / barriers that individuals are experiencing in changing their behaviour.

28. Take an active part in developing own knowledge and skills of work procedures and practices some of which may not be routine in nature.

29. Seek advice and support as and when appropriate.

30. Monitor and maintain health, safety and security of self and others.

31. Adhere to organisational policies and procedures.