PROFESSIONALS

North East Lincolnshire Health Trainers’ are a free to access and confidential service, part of Health Improvement Services within the North East Lincolnshire Council.

The North East Lincolnshire Health Trainer Service first came into being in February 2007 and has been actively working with clients since April 2007. Health trainers have 3 key roles: offering health information, sign posting clients to other health services or community organisations/agencies and providing one to one behaviour change support for individuals who want to make lifestyle changes; all with the aim of improving health.

The Health Trainers work with families and individuals within their communities, accessing clients by engaging and interacting in the life of that community. The ‘watchword’ of the Health Trainer is empowerment, ensuring the client always has choice and control over the whole process

The North East Lincolnshire Health Trainer Service also works in partnership with organisations that have Health Champions in their workforce. Health Champions are people trained to offer health information and sign posting services only – referring clients wanting 1-1 behaviour change/lifestyle support to a Health Trainer in their locality.

All Health Trainers have a nationally recognised City and Guilds Level 3 qualification to carry out the role and have been assessed in a range of competencies and portfolio based theoretical and practical work. Health Champions have completed a Level 1 RSPH award. They all work to NHS, and where appropriate, their employer organisation policies and procedures, including those relating to confidentiality and data protection. The Health Trainer Service has been developed around a Quality Assurance Framework and a set of agreed quality standards, ensuring that quality assurance processes within the Health Trainer Service are comprehensive and robust.

In 2009-10 Health Trainers worked with just over 1250 new clients, all of which involved 1-1 behaviour change support.

North East Lincolnshire Health Trainers are aligned to the local area action groups:

Meridian

Fiveways

Central

Immingham

Wolds

 The Health Trainer Service Manager is: Greg Gilbert who can be contacted on 01472 (32) 4346 or greg.gilbert@nelincs.gov.uk

or contact:

Chris Pogson: Health trainer Coordinator: 01472 (32) 4991 or chris.pogson@nelincs.gov.uk

Kelly Moore: Health trainer Coordinator: 01472 (32) 4991 or kelly.moore@nelincs.gov.uk

Donna Blakey: Service Administrator: 01472 (32) 5414 or donna.blakey@nelincs.gov.uk

Partner organisations

Health Trainers are employed by North East Lincolnshire Council

The Health Trainer Service works closely with a number of other partners, including Probation Service, Children Centre’s, Maternity Services, The North East Lincolnshire Stop Smoking Service and Mental Health Services to name but a few.

Health Trainers individually work with many other local organisations and agencies in their day to day work, including primary care services (i.e. practice nurses and GPs), secondary care services (i.e. dieticians, cardiac rehab) and community groups (i.e.West Marsh Community Centre, Marsh Mates)

Links have also been established with Shoreline Housing, Community Pride for referrals to and from the Health Trainer Service.