Health Trainer

Thurrock Healthy Lifestyle Service is a key part of the local authority's Public Health Team, dedicated to supporting residents to improve their health and wellbeing. Our service provides practical, one-to-one and group support to help people make positive lifestyle changes, particularly those from disadvantaged or hard-to-reach communities.

Health Trainers work closely with individuals to assess their current lifestyle, set achievable health goals, and develop personalised action plans. They offer guidance and motivation on a range of health issues, including healthy eating, physical activity, stopping smoking, reducing alcohol intake, and improving emotional wellbeing. Health Trainers also signpost clients to other relevant services and community resources as needed.

Our team is committed to reducing health inequalities by engaging with local communities, building trust, and empowering people to take control of their own health. We work in partnership with other health and social care professionals, voluntary organisations, and community groups to ensure a holistic approach to health improvement.

About the Role

As a Senior Health Trainer, you will be responsible for:

- Leading, motivating and supporting a team of Health Trainers, providing day-to-day supervision, training, performance management and professional development to ensure a high-quality service.

- Delivering evidence-based health improvement interventions, including smoking cessation support, healthy eating and weight management advice, NHS health checks, alcohol brief interventions, and wider behaviour change programmes.

- Working directly with residents as well as acting as a specialist support for clients with complex needs, to conduct health assessment needs, develop personalised goals and action plans, and support them to make sustainable lifestyle changes that improve their health and wellbeing.

- Tackling health inequalities by proactively engaging with communities, local organisations and partner agencies to reach individuals and groups most at risk of poor outcomes.

- Ensuring accurate recording, monitoring and reporting of client outcomes, maintaining high standards of data quality, information governance, health and safety, and service performance.

- Supporting the ongoing development of the Healthy Lifestyle Service, by identifying opportunities for service improvement, strengthening referral pathways and acting as an ambassador for the service across Thurrock and partner organisations.

This role offers the chance to make a real difference by leading and developing a dedicated Health Trainer team, helping improve health outcomes, reduce health inequalities and empower local communities to make lasting lifestyle changes. Through leadership, partnership working and evidence-based interventions, you will play a key role in supporting residents achieve better health and wellbeing.

We're looking for someone who has:

- a minimum of 2 years' experience working in health/health improvement or closely related field.

- a minimum of 2 years' experience leading a team and/or management/mentoring of junior staff or volunteers,

- strong coaching, motivational interviewing and communication skills.

- experience in the assessment, monitoring and application of behaviour change to support a quit attempt or other lifestyle change.

- experience of identifying key stakeholders, developing effective relationships, and working in partnership with both internal and external partnerships.

Essential qualifications:

- Minimum level 3 diploma or certificate in health and social care, health or nutrition for health or equivalent experience in relevant health improvement field

- Evidence of training and working experience in behaviour change techniques such as motivational interviewing and Making Every Contact Count (MECC)

- Minimum National Centre for Smoking Cessation Training (NCSCT) accredited skills practitioner certificate and additional, relevant NCSCT training modules.

At Thurrock Council, we value our employees and offer a comprehensive benefits package, including:

- Generous annual leave entitlement

- Local Government Pension Scheme

- Flexible and hybrid working opportunities (where applicable)

- Ongoing training and professional development

- Employee assistance programme and wellbeing support

- Staff discounts and local offers

- A supportive and inclusive working environment

Important Dates