Unhealthy habits are a major cause of ill health and premature death particularly in Manchester. Unhealthy eating habits, physical inactivity, smoking, alcohol use, unsafe sex and driving habits have a major impact on health and well being. The Health Trainer is a new role within the NHS, they work closely with individuals who want to adopt a healthier lifestyle but who are unsure about how they go about doing so.

In July 2005, Manchester was chosen as one of the first areas in the country to set up a new national initiative known as ‘Health Trainers’, first introduced in the government’s “Choosing Health’ White Paper. The paper proposed that health trainers would be drawn from local communities and trained to reach people who want to adopt healthier lifestyles but who are not in contact with services.  As a so called ‘early adopter’ site, the city has developed the scheme via a partnership arrangement comprising Manchester PCT, the Local Authority (Joint Health Unit) and Manchester Public Health Development Service.

The initial focus of the work of Health Trainers will be to encourage increased levels of physical activity and improve access to information and one-to-one support around food, diet and nutrition. The Health Trainers role is not to give advice. It is to structure a series of discussions to empower the client to develop and use skills to regulate their own behaviour. Therefore the approach is person-centred with the aim being for the client to make their own decisions.

Health Trainers use a range of techniques for supporting people to set and maintain their own personalised SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, timely) goals. The first assessment session includes a health assessment to review the person’s opinion of their current general health, well-being and health goals. Health Trainers work with individuals supporting them to identify barriers and opportunities within their own lives which either hinder adopting good habits or could support healthy change.

The Health Trainer is a new employment opportunity aimed at local people who want to support others to improve their health. The aim is to attract people into employment who may not previously have considered, or been considered for employment in the field of health and social care. With full training and support, Health Trainers provide personalised support to others within the communities, enabling those most at risk of ill health to access a healthier way of life. Health Trainers speak a number of languages; these include Somali, Urdu, Punjabi, Hindi, Arabic, Mirpuree, Gujarati, Dutch and Greek. Every effort has been made to attract people to the scheme from a range of backgrounds, many of whom may not have considered anything like this before. No formal qualifications or experience of employment in the health service are necessary. What is most important is the ability and desire to work with others and to bring about a real improvement in people’s health.

Health Trainers don’t tell people what to do and they don’t give advice. They empower people to regulate their own behaviour based on their own decisions. Health Trainers have a very good knowledge of facilities and services in different communities and are able to provide practical support through escorting people to new group activities or to the shops to buy healthy food etc. Where necessary, Health Trainers will support people to find the right professional programme (such as ‘Stop Smoking Services’) and support people in adopting the professional recommendations.

Health Trainers are based with different services across the city, a person can be referred by an agency or make a self referral to a Health Trainer.

To find out general information about the service or to find your local Health Trainer contact Aurora Robb on 0161 861 2548. Or email to Aurora.robb@manchester.nhs.uk