Health Coaching and Beyond

SummaryIn this episode, Ollie and Tim come back together to explore what health coaching can offer across two very different but increasingly important areas: workplace wellbeing and the growing use of digital health tools.Tim reflects on conversations from the NHS Occupational Health & Wellbeing Network annual meeting, where there was strong interest in how health coaching skills could help occupational health teams move further upstream. Rather than waiting until someone is struggling, off sick or preparing to return to work, they discuss the opportunity to involve people earlier and more actively in decisions about their own health and working lives.The conversation widens into the role of workplace culture, leadership and psychological safety. Ollie and Tim reflect on why trust matters, how vulnerability from leaders can create space for others to speak openly, and why employees feeling able to ask for support or adaptations can be a sign of a healthy organisation rather than a problem to be managed.They then turn to two recent studies exploring health coaching alongside digital support. Ollie shares findings from the Active Wait study, involving people waiting for hip and knee surgery with lower levels of patient activation. A second feasibility study, looking at digital support for people living with frailty tells a similar story. While digital tools may offer huge potential, the human relationship can be the thing that helps people engage with them and translate information into meaningful action.TakeawaysOccupational health has the potential to move further upstream from reactive support towards prevention.Health coaching skills can help people play a more active role in conversations about staying well, returning to work and workplace adjustments.Person-centred conversations are not simply about being friendly or supportive, but using deliberate skills that help people think for themselves.Workplace culture and leadership have a major influence on whether people feel safe enough to speak honestly about what they need.Being able to ask for adaptations or support can be a sign of trust and psychological safety.The Active Wait study found high engagement with health coaching among people with lower levels of patient activation.Small, personally meaningful goals can sometimes unlock wider changes in confidence, mood and activity.Digital tools can provide useful support, but engagement with them varies considerably.Health coaching may help people engage more meaningfully with digital health tools.Creating the space for someone to think, build confidence and take the lead sits at the heart of health coaching.The future of health coaching may increasingly involve finding the right balance between human relationships and digital support.Active Wait: Feasibility of Health Coaching Targeting Patients With Low Activation Waiting for Total Hip or Total Knee Replacement - https://www.physiotherapyjournal.com/article/S0031-9406(26)00485-2/abstractDIALOR: A Feasibility and Acceptability Study of a Digital Health Coaching Intervention for Older People With Frailty in Primary Care - https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40520-026-03499-w

SummaryIn this episode, Tim is joined by health and wellbeing coach, supervisor and facilitator Laura Williams to explore where a career in health coaching can lead.Laura shares her journey from veterinary nursing and primary care into social prescribing, NHS health coaching, supervision and staff wellbeing. She reflects on what first drew her to coaching, particularly the realisation that even good advice does not always lead to meaningful change when it doesn’t fit into the realities of someone’s life.The conversation explores the shift from telling people what to do towards creating the space for them to think, reflect and find their own way forward. Laura talks about learning to move from being on “transmit and do” to “receive and be”, and why listening well is something coaches continue to practise throughout their careers. Laura also speaks openly about being made redundant from her NHS health coaching role and the uncertainty that followed. She and Tim discuss changing NHS priorities, the value of building a varied career and the different ways coaching skills can continue to be used beyond a traditional health coaching role.A key part of the episode focuses on supervision, what it offers, why it is different from line management or clinical supervision, and how it can support coaches with confidence, boundaries, reflection and the emotional demands of the work.TakeawaysThere is no single career path after training as a health coach.Good advice does not always translate into lasting change.Health coaching creates space for people to reflect and find their own solutions.Moving from advice-giving to coaching takes practice, patience and good listening.Coaching skills can be used across a wide range of roles and settings.Changing NHS priorities can create uncertainty for health coaches and the wider workforce.Supervision can help coaches feel supported, confident and safe in their work.Coaching supervision is different from line management and clinical supervision.Training as a supervisor can also strengthen your own coaching practice.

SummaryTim and Ollie are back together this week, chewing over one of the biggest recent developments for health coaching in the NHS - the newly refreshed NHS Health and Wellbeing Coaching Framework.Three years on from the original framework, the pair explore what has changed, what feels particularly significant and what the update might tell us about where health coaching is heading.For both Tim and Ollie, the refreshed framework feels like an important step forward. At a time of significant change across the NHS, it offers a welcome reaffirmation of the health and wellbeing coach role, while also recognising the growing potential for health coaching beyond primary care, including in secondary care, community services and the voluntary sector.A big focus of the episode is supervision. The new framework places much greater emphasis on dedicated health coaching supervision, clearly distinguishing it from line management, clinical and safeguarding support. Tim and Ollie discuss why this matters, particularly for coaches starting out and navigating complex, emotional and sometimes challenging conversations.They also look at career progression and the four tiers of health coaching practice. More broadly, they reflect on the role health coaching can play in shaping NHS culture - helping people build agency, improving conversations and moving away from the idea that professionals always need to have all the answers.TakeawaysThe refreshed NHS Health and Wellbeing Coaching Framework is a significant reaffirmation of the health coaching role.Health coaching is increasingly being recognised beyond primary care, including in secondary care, community services and the voluntary sector.The framework recommends at least one hour of health coaching supervision per month, particularly for those earlier in their practice.Becoming a health coaching supervisor can offer an important route for career development.The four health coaching tiers provide a structure for progression, but clearer approaches to assessing competence could strengthen the profession further.Hours of practice alone do not necessarily demonstrate the quality or maturity of someone's coaching.Protecting coaches from excessive caseloads allows time for reflection, supervision, administration and better conversations.Health coaching principles have the potential to influence the wider culture of healthcare, not just the work of dedicated health coaches.Building people's confidence, agency and ability to contribute to their own care can also reduce the pressure on professionals to provide every solution.As digital tools and AI become more prominent in healthcare, questions about the uniquely human elements of support and coaching will become increasingly important.If you’d like to explore some of the topics discussed in this week’s episode, you can find more information below:NHS Workforce Development Framework for Health and Wellbeing Coaches https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/workforce-development-framework-for-health-and-wellbeing-coaches-2/#7-competency-frameworkThe King’s Fund - Is the NHS ready for the AI-powered patient?https://www.kingsfund.org.uk/insight-and-analysis/long-reads/nhs-ready-for-ai-powered-patient?utm

SummaryIn this episode, Ollie is joined by Frank, a former patient who, over more than a decade, has become a colleague, peer supporter and friend.Frank was the first person Ollie had met with type 2 diabetes who had managed to come off insulin injections. His experience began a shared journey of learning about metabolic health, self-management, social prescribing and, importantly, the value of lived experience in helping others.Frank reflects on his diagnosis with type 2 diabetes, his experiences of feeling intimidated by healthcare and the shame and stigma that can surround weight and long-term conditions. After years of trying different approaches, he began making significant changes to his health himself – at first without clinical support – eventually losing weight, reducing his medication and coming off insulin.The conversation explores what happened next. As Frank became more active, cycling became not only a way of supporting his physical health but a source of friendship, community and purpose. What began with joining an adult cycling group eventually led him to establish his own, creating a supportive community where people look after one another and nobody gets left behind.Ollie and Frank also reflect on how their relationship evolved from a traditional doctor-patient dynamic into a genuine partnership. Together, they went on to develop diabetes remission groups, roadshows and peer-led support, combining clinical knowledge with Frank’s ability to speak from experience and connect with people in a way that felt relatable, safe and free from judgement.Throughout the episode, they explore the importance of creating healthcare environments where people feel able to ask questions, build knowledge and take a more active role in their own health. They also consider how peer support can help reach people who may feel excluded or intimidated by traditional healthcare, and why services work better when they are designed with, rather than simply for, the communities they serve.TakeawaysSupporting self-management means helping people build the knowledge, skills and confidence to take an active role in their health.Lived experience can bring a perspective and credibility that clinical knowledge alone cannot always provide.Peer support can help people feel understood, particularly when they are navigating stigma, shame or difficult lifestyle changes.Social connection can be just as important as the activity itself when supporting long-term health and wellbeing.Social prescribing can help people discover activities, communities and relationships that support sustainable change.Health professionals can learn enormously from the people they support when there is space for genuine partnership.Co-production means designing support with communities and responding to what works for them, rather than assuming what they need.Healthcare becomes more person-centred when people feel safe to ask questions, challenge assumptions and share what life is really like.Supporting people to become confident self-managers does not replace medical care – it can make that care more effective.Peer supporters can play an important role in helping others see that change is possible without blame or judgement.Sometimes the person who first comes through the door as a patient can ultimately become a teacher, colleague and source of support for many others.

SummaryIn this episode, Ollie is joined by Peak Health Coaching’s Education Director, Dr Caroline Hart, to take a closer look at the growing evidence base around health and wellbeing coaching and importantly, how we make sense of it.Drawing on two recently published studies, Ollie and Caroline explore what research can tell us about the impact of coaching in very different healthcare settings. The first looks at health coaching alongside blood pressure monitoring for women following pregnancy, where coaching support was associated with greater engagement in follow-up care and better blood pressure control. The second explores the use of coaching in dementia care communities, including its potential impact not only on person-centred care, but on staff confidence, satisfaction and wellbeing.But the conversation goes beyond the headline findings.Ollie and Caroline explore what we mean by “evidence” in the first place. Clinical outcomes and statistics matter, but they are only part of the picture. Patient experience, confidence, engagement, staff wellbeing and the stories people tell about change can offer equally valuable insights into whether an intervention is making a difference.The discussion turns to how those working in health coaching can evaluate their own impact without needing to run a large research trial. From gathering simple baseline information to looking again at the middle and end of an intervention, the message is to keep measurement meaningful, consistent and useful.TakeawaysThe evidence base around health and wellbeing coaching continues to grow.Headline research findings are useful, but understanding the context behind them is essential.We need to be clear about what is actually meant by “health coaching” within individual studies.Research from one healthcare system, population or setting may not automatically translate to another.Health coaching may influence engagement and confidence before changes appear in longer-term clinical outcomes.Relationships, trust and feeling supported can play an important role in helping people engage with their health.The impact of coaching may extend beyond patients and clients to staff wellbeing, confidence and job satisfaction.Quantitative and biometric data can tell us part of the story, but qualitative evidence can provide important depth and context.Stories, experiences and perceptions are valuable forms of evidence, particularly when trying to understand complex human change.Co-production can help ensure we measure outcomes that actually matter to clients, practitioners, colleagues and funders.Research featured in this episodeHealth coaching support for blood pressure follow-up after hypertension during pregnancy - Care Navigation, Self-Measured Blood Pressure, and Health Coaching for Postpartum Care: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2852539Coaching care staff to support more person-centred care - Evaluating a Coaching Intervention for Dementia Care Practice Recommendations in Care Communities: https://academic.oup.com/gerontologist/advance-article/doi/10.1093/geront/gnag183/8756713?utm