Goodbye Health Trainers, Hello New Opportunities…
It is with a heavy heart that we have had to say goodbye to our Health Trainer service, following the decommissioning of all Health Trainer services across Birmingham. However, with every end comes a new opportunity and we have been determined to ensure that all staff remained within the organisation and to move the business in new and exciting directions. We wanted to redistribute our Health Trainer’s skills into other areas of the business in order to create further opportunities for growth, both for the staff and the organisation.
As our Health Trainers have been coming to the end of their caseload and signing off clients, members of the team have gradually started to move into new roles within the business. In doing so, they have taken their skills and experience with them into their new teams.
The first to complete the transfer process was long-standing Health Trainer, Ross.
Ross had been involved in setting up the Wellbeing Coordinator Service three years ago, so when an opening in the team became available he embraced the opportunity. The Wellbeing Coordinator Service has two strands, one that supports people over 50 and one that supports carers. Both strands aim to help people maintain their independence, become actively involved in their community, improve their health and reduce social isolation.
As a Health Trainer, the majority of Ross’ work was with individuals who were homeless or rough sleeping. During this work, he gained a lot of experience of working in a 1-1 environment with clients and became very skilled at putting people at ease, encouraging them to open up to him. This has proved to be a valuable skill in both his Health Trainer and Wellbeing Coordinator work as clients are more willing to be honest with him about what is going on in their lives. This allows him to offer the most appropriate and beneficial support to that person. It also enables him to take a holistic approach to their care, as he can identify and provide support for a client’s practical needs, such as mobility or falls prevention and then focus on improving their health and wellbeing.
Ross also built partnerships with local community and support organisations during his time as a Health Trainer. This means he has a wealth of knowledge of ways in which a person can be supported to achieve their goals.
As well as bringing many skills to the Wellbeing Coordinator role, Ross has also gained new expertise. His computer skills have developed dramatically as a result of the different inputting requirements of the job. He has also learned to adapt to the varying environments of each client, and fit in with them, allowing them to become comfortable enough with him to open up.
We are delighted to be able to transfer each of our Health Trainers to other areas of the business and keep hold of our entire workforce. Our staff, and their skills, are invaluable to the success of the organisation and allow us to keep making a difference in our local communities.
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