Healthy Weight Coach - elearning for healthcare
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This programme is in partnership with...

This programme is created in partnership with...

  • Health Education England_New logo 2021
  • Office for Health Improvement and Disparities

About the Healthy Weight Coach elearning programme

In July 2020, the government announced an ambitious strategy to tackle obesity. To fulfil the commitments made in this strategy, it was announced that an additional £100 million in 2021/22 will be available to improve the support for adults, children and families to achieve and maintain a healthier weight. This funding has been dedicated to expand the availability of the full range of weight management services across England as well as improving signposting and referrals to weight management services.

The strategy also included a commitment to offer all primary care networks the opportunity for staff to support people to achieve a healthier weight by training to become a healthy weight coach.

A healthy weight coach will engage and support people living with overweight or obesity to help them make positive changes to their health and health behaviours to promote a healthier weight. They will be well-placed to signpost or, where appropriate, refer people to weight management services.

Supporting people to move towards a healthier weight can have important benefits to the health and wellbeing of the individual seeking support, as well as individual primary care practices, primary care networks and the NHS by reducing ill-health related to overweight and obesity.

On completion of the elearning programme, you will have the skills and confidence to have meaningful conversations to support people to move towards a healthier weight.

Course information

The Healthy Weight Coach elearning programme has been developed for colleagues in primary care and primary care networks who already engage and interact with people as part of their role and are interested in supporting people who want to prioritise their weight, health and wellbeing.

The healthy weight coach is a new, voluntary role with an additional and, in some cases, overlapping, set of competencies and responsibilities to a person’s existing substantive role.

The training will help individuals to engage and support people living with overweight and obesity to make positive changes to their health and weight-related behaviours.

The healthy weight coach elearning programme is made up of the following 8 sessions.
You must complete all 8 sessions to become a healthy weight coach:

  • 1. The Role of a Healthy Weight Coach

  • 2. The Complexity of weight gain, obesity and weight management

  • 3. Measuring and assessing a person’s weight

  • 4. The outcomes associated with overweight, obesity and weight management

  • 5. Healthy eating, drinking and physical activity

  • 6. Avoiding weight stigma and challenging biases

  • 7. Supporting behaviour change

  • 8. How to communicate effectively

More information

A reference guide on the healthy weight coach elearning programme has been developed for primary care networks and practices interested in training staff, and individuals interested in undertaking training, to become a healthy weight coach. The healthy weight coach reference guide can be found here: FutureNHS link

Meet the team

  • Dr Stuart Flint

    Dr Stuart Flint

    Associate Professor of Psychology, University of Leeds
  • Professor Louisa Ells

    Professor Louisa Ells

    Professor of Obesity, Leeds Beckett University
  • Professor Jason Halford

    Professor Jason Halford

    Professor of Biological Psychology & Health Behaviours, University of Leeds
  • Beverley O’Hara

    Dr Beverley O’Hara

    Postdoctoral Researcher, University of Leeds
  • Lisa Mabbs

    Lisa Mabbs

    Obesity and Healthy Weight Team, Office for Health Improvement and Disparities
  • Penny Blair

    Penny Blair

    Obesity and Healthy Weight Team, Office for Health Improvement and Disparities
  • Dr Alison Feeley

    Dr Alison Feeley

    Obesity and Healthy Weight Team, Office for Health Improvement and Disparities
  • Lucy Porter

    Lucy Porter

    Behavioural Insights Adviser, Office for Health Improvement and Disparities
  • Emma Nye

    Emma Nye

    Programme Manager, HEE elearning for Healthcare
  • Robin Pollard

    Rob Pollard

    Project Manager, HEE elearning for Healthcare
  • Alice Denham

    Alice Denham

    Lead Learning Designer, HEE elearning for healthcare
  • Angelina Montinaro

    Angelina Montinaro

    Lead Learning Designer, HEE elearning for healthcare
  • Sonali Gupta

    Sonali Gupta

    Learning Designer, HEE elearning for healthcare
  • Runam Prasad

    Runam Prasad

    Learning Designer, HEE elearning for healthcare
  • Louise Garrahan

    Louise Garrahan

    Communications and Stakeholder Officer, HEE elearning for healthcare
  • NAOMI KNIGHT

    Naomi Knight

    Graphic Designer, HEE elearning for healthcare
  • Scott Tyrrell

    Scott Tyrrell

    Animator / Graphic Designer, HEE elearning for healthcare

Acknowledgements:

Healthy weight coach project steering group members (January – September 2021):

  • Alison Feeley, Public Health England
  • Lisa Mabbs, Public Health England
  • Penny Blair, Public Health England
  • Lucy Porter, Public Health England
  • Monica Davidson, Public Health England
  • Stuart Flint, University of Leeds
  • Jason Halford, University of Leeds
  • Beverley O’Hara, University of Leeds
  • Louisa Ells, Leeds Beckett University
  • Rebecca Lawrence, Department of Health and Social Care
  • Sarah Bullock, Department of Health and Social Care
  • Jim Phillips, NHS England & Improvement
  • Katherine Taylor, NHS England & Improvement
  • Janet Somers, NHS England & Improvement
  • Emma Rawson, NHS England & Improvement
  • Emma Nye, Health Education England
  • Rob Pollard, Health Education England
  • Janet Flint, Health Education England
  • Heidi Breed, Health Education England
  • Antonio De Gregorio, Health Education England

Colleagues involved in the review of the healthy weight coach training programme (in addition to the healthy weight coach project steering group):

  • Rachel White, Public Health England
  • Jamie Blackshaw, Public Health England
  • Caroline Hancock, Public Health England
  • Lisa Thompson, Public Health England
  • Casey Bodman, Public Health England
  • Caitlin Thomas, Public Health England
  • Jess Gwynn, Public Health England
  • Vicky Targett, Public Health England
  • Vicki Pyne, Public Health England
  • Alicia Parr, Public Health England
  • Michelle Ball, Public Health England
  • Alison Farrar, Public Health Workforce Lead HEE North West
  • Ken Clare, Obesity UK
  • Sarah Le Brocq, Obesity Advocate and Patient Advocate
  • Michelle Turner, Shropshire Community Trust
  • Abi Lowe-Werrell, Shropshire Community Trust
  • Lindsey Pashley, Selby Town Primary Care Network
  • Anna Baird, Blackthorn Health Centre
  • Emma Seward-Adams, Watergate Primary Care Network
  • Jenny Hartnoll, Frome Medical Centre
  • Jo Fordham, Frome Medical Centre

How to access

In order to access the Healthy Weight Coach programme, you will need an e-LfH account. If you do not have one, then you can register by selecting the Register button below.

Register >

To view the Healthy Weight Coach programme, select the View button below. If you already have an account with e-LfH, you will also be able to login and enrol on the programme from the View button.

View >

NHS healthcare staff in England

The Healthy Weight Coach programme is also available to NHS healthcare staff via the Electronic Staff Record (ESR). Accessing this e-Learning via ESR means that your completions will transfer with you throughout your NHS career.

Further details are available here.

Not an NHS organisation?

If you are not an NHS health or care organisation and therefore do not qualify for free access e-LfH Hub, you may be able to access the service by creating an OpenAthens account.

To check whether or not you qualify for free access via OpenAthens, you can view the eligibility criteria and register on the ‘OpenAthens’ portal.

Registering large numbers of users

If you are a HR, IT or Practice Manager and would like to register and enrol large numbers of staff within your organisation for access onto the Healthy Weight Coach programme, please contact e-LfH directly.

Organisations wishing to use their own LMS

For HR departments wanting to know more about gaining access to courses using an existing Learning Management System please contact e-LfH directly to express interest.

How to gain CPD points

This programme forms part of the Personalised Care Institute’s library of personalised care training for all healthcare professions. If you would like to obtain a certificate and CPD points for your ongoing CPD records, and learn a lot more about personalised care, then please visit the Personalised Care Institute website  to register and access.

More information

Please select the following link for more information on how to use the elfh Hub.

elfh is a NHS England programme in partnership with the NHS and professional bodies