Health and Wellbeing Coach (Weight Management Specialist) in Leeds

We are looking to recruit a Health and Wellbeing Coach with a specialisation in weight management to join our existing team to support and empower our patients to set goals and manage their own health and wellbeing.

Main duties of the job:

• The post holder will be a key member of the multi-disciplinary team, helping patients and their carers to increase their participation in, and understanding of, their health condition, by supporting and empowering them to make the most appropriate and informed decisions to manage their condition focusing on weight management and diabetes.
• You will work with patients of low to medium complexity that may have one or more long term conditions.
• Cross Gates PCN is also part of the Primary Care Delivered Weight Management Pilot to deliver weight management medication (Tirzepatide) and a wraparound support package for patients experiencing obesity, as part of the West Yorkshire Health and Growth Accelerator Programmes.
• You will be a key part of delivering this service working closely with our pharmacist team to help patients make sustainable lifestyle changes, coordinating MDT involvement and monitoring patient progress through structured follow ups.

We are looking for someone who is passionate about the role and the opportunity it must make a difference to the health and wellbeing of our patients. The successful candidate will work with the other members of the primary care team in the management/decision making about care and service provision for individual patients and support the practices in this and other health promotion work. You will work with individuals and groups, including developing peer support.

About us:

Cross Gates Primary Care Network includes four practices working across six sites: Ashfield and The Grange Medical Centre, Colton Mill and The Grange Medical Centre, Family Doctors and Manston Surgery. The PCN has a patient population of 30,000 including patients living across 5 care homes. We believe in providing a holistic approach to managing patient care and supporting individuals to meet their own needs and aspirations. You will be part of an organisation whose leadership team are supportive and innovative, focused on change and transforming services.

Our team currently includes Clinical pharmacists, pharmacy technician, mental health practitioners, advanced clinical practitioner, specialist nurses, nurse associate, physician associate, first contact physiotherapists and care coordinators, and aims to support our practices and improve health outcomes for our patients. We do this through the integration of PCN teams and services with our practices, continuous evaluation, and ongoing development of our services and projects, looking for opportunities for innovation and transformation and sharing best practice.

In addition, we have built close working relationships with statutory and voluntary sector organisations including Linking Leeds, Memory Support Workers, LCH Neighbourhood teams, Cross Gates Good Neighbours, our Local Care Partnership, community pharmacies and our care homes.

Job responsibilities:

• To work as part of a multi-disciplinary team in a patient facing role to assess and work with patients using expert knowledge.
• To take an approach that is non-judgmental, based on strong communication and negotiation skills, while considering the whole person when addressing existing issues.
• Conduct Individualised Assessments: Perform comprehensive assessments of patients' health and weight-related concerns, considering their medical history, lifestyle, and personal goals.
• Develop Personalised Weight Management Plans: Create tailored weight management plans that address each patient's unique needs, considering their current health status, dietary habits, and physical activity levels.
• Provide Ongoing Coaching: Coach, motivate and empower patients through multiple sessions to identify their needs, set goals, and support them to implement their personalised health and care plan, signposting to additional services as required. Develop and facilitate group consultations to assist patients to work with others to support their own goals.
• Educate on Nutrition and Physical Activity: Educate patients about balanced nutrition, portion control, healthy eating habits, and the importance of regular physical activity to support sustainable weight management. Run awareness campaigns for patient groups.
• Set Realistic Goals: Collaborate with patients to set achievable short-term and long-term weight loss targets, ensuring that these goals align with their overall health objectives.
• Monitor Progress: Regularly monitor and assess patients' progress towards their weight management goals, making necessary adjustments to the plan as needed.
• Support Behaviour Change: Support patients through the process and provide interventions, tools and techniques to enable patients to achieve their personal goals. Provide personalised support to individuals, their families and carers to ensure that they are active participants in their own healthcare, and to empower them to take more control in managing their own health and well-being, to live independently and to improve their health outcomes.
• Collaborate with Healthcare Professionals: Work with the social prescribing services to connect patients to community-based activities which support their health and wellbeing. Be aware of limitations and, as required, be responsible for the referral of patients who require the intervention of other healthcare professionals.
• Stay Informed: Stay current with the latest research, best practices, and developments in weight management and wellness coaching to provide the most effective support to patients.
• Lead on the Primary Care Delivered Weight Management Pilot: Provide personalised lifestyle coaching on nutrition, physical activity, and behaviour change. Conduct 1:1 assessments and deliver 4 weekly follow-up reviews (face-to-face or telephone). Support patients with goal setting, self-monitoring, and managing barriers to change. Monitor patient progress, including weight, compliance, side effects, and lifestyle behaviours. Liaise regularly with Clinical Director and Pharmacists to review programme milestones and service development.

Generic Responsibilities:

• Maintain continued education by attendance at courses as deemed essential for professional development.
• Participation in annual appraisal review.
• Maintaining a record of own personal and/or professional development.
• Produce complete and accurate records of patient consultation, in line with best practice, confidentiality, policies and procedures.
• Deliver care according to NHS guidance, NICE guidelines and evidence-based care.
• Take part in the maintenance of quality governance systems and processes across the PCN and its activities.
• Utilise the audit cycle as a means of evaluating the quality of the work of self and the team, implementing improvements where required.
• Work with other clinical teams on improving the quality of healthcare in response to local and national policies and initiatives as appropriate.
• Evaluate patients response to health care provision and the effectiveness of care.
• Support and participate in shared learning across the PCN and wider organisation.
• Aware of statutory safeguarding, notification processes and local guidance for children/vulnerable patients, applying relevant policies and legislation to protect them.
• Ensure compliance with policies, procedures and guidelines for self and others, by taking action or alerting senior management team if the practice appears to contravene policy, or if there are concerns over any aspect of patient care.

Health and Safety:

• The post-holder will manage their own and others health & safety and infection control as defined in the Cross Gates Primary Care Ltd Health & Safety Policy, the Cross Gates Primary Care Ltd Health & Safety Manual, and the Cross Gates Primary Care Infection Control Policy and published procedures.
• Comply with Cross Gates Primary Care health and safety policies by following agreed safe working procedures.
• Aware of and comply with national standards of infection control, hygiene, regulatory / contractual / professional requirements, and good practice guidelines.
• Correct personal use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and ensuring correct use of PPE by others, advising on appropriate circumstances for use by clinicians, staff and patients.
• Reporting incidents using the organisations Incident Reporting System.

Confidentiality:

• Maintain confidentiality of information, acting within the terms of the Data Protection Act and Caldicott guidance on patient confidentiality at all times.
• Maintain an awareness of the Freedom of Information Act.

Equality and Diversity:

• The post-holder will support, promote and maintain the Cross Gates Primary Care Equality & Diversity Policy. No person whether they are staff, patient or visitor should receive less favourable treatment because of their gender, ethnic origin, age, disability, sexual orientation, religion etc.
• The job holder must comply with all policies and procedures designed to ensure equality of employment and that services are delivered in ways that meet the individual needs of patients and their families.

Other delegated duties:

This job description is not intended to be exhaustive - it may be changed after consultation with the post holder. The employee shares with the employer the responsibility for review and modification of duties.

Person Specification:

• Qualifications: Training in motivational coaching, behavioural change and goal setting. Health and Fitness qualification L3, Coaching Qualification(s) / Mentoring L3, Health and Social Care L3 Diploma or working towards this. NVQ 3 or equivalent and/or relevant basic/first level professional qualification or working towards this.
• Experience: Proven experience using person-centred, non-judgemental communication and motivational approaches to support individuals to identify what matters to them and make achievable changes. Experience of managing and prioritising a caseload, including goal-setting, follow-up over multiple sessions, and documenting progress against personalised plans. Experience supporting people who may face barriers to engagement, including health inequalities, low health literacy, social isolation, or complex psychosocial needs, and tailoring interventions accordingly. Experience of working within a multidisciplinary team (MDT) (e.g. GP practice/PCN/community services), including knowing when and how to escalate or refer back to clinicians appropriately. Demonstrable experience delivering 1:1 and/or group health coaching/behaviour change support to adults, with a clear focus on weight management and sustainable lifestyle change. Experience of signposting and connecting people to community-based support, including physical activity, peer support, and local wellbeing services, and working alongside social prescribing where available. Experience working with people living with long-term conditions commonly associated with excess weight (e.g. cardiovascular risk factors), and adapting coaching to differing levels of confidence/activation. Experience of using clinical/health IT systems (SystmOne and EMIS).
• Role Requirements: Car owner with UK Valid Driving Licence and Business Insurance to travel for home visits (as required), training and PCN sites.
• Disclosure and Barring Service Check: This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

£27,485 to £37,796 a year Depending on experience.