As the NHS continues to focus on prevention, personalised care, and supporting people to manage their own health, the role of the Health and Wellbeing Coach has become an increasingly important part of the healthcare workforce.
Working alongside multidisciplinary teams, Health and Wellbeing Coaches empower individuals to take greater control of their physical and mental wellbeing. Through personalised conversations, coaching techniques, and behaviour change support, they help people make sustainable improvements that can have a lasting impact on their health outcomes.
With the role continuing to grow across primary care and community settings, understanding the training requirements and professional standards is essential for both aspiring coaches and organisations looking to develop their workforce.
What is a Health and Wellbeing Coach?
Health and Wellbeing Coaches support individuals to identify their own health goals, overcome barriers to change, and develop the confidence and motivation needed to improve their wellbeing.
Rather than providing direct advice or telling people what they should do, coaches use evidence-based coaching approaches that place the individual at the centre of decision-making. This helps people develop the skills, knowledge, and confidence to manage their health more effectively.
Health and Wellbeing Coaches commonly support people living with:
Long-term health conditions
Diabetes and cardiovascular disease
Obesity and weight management challenges
Stress, anxiety, and low mood
Lifestyle-related health risks
Low confidence in managing their own health
The role plays a key part in delivering personalised care by helping people focus on what matters most to them and supporting them to achieve realistic, meaningful goals.
What Training is Required?
To ensure a consistent national standard, the Personalised Care Institute (PCI) has established training requirements for Health and Wellbeing Coaches working within NHS personalised care services.
Individuals entering the role are expected to complete either:
A four-day PCI-accredited Health and Wellbeing Coaching training programme
A Level 3 apprenticeship from the PCI-approved apprenticeship pathway
The four-day accredited training programme is widely recognised as the minimum national training requirement for those working in NHS personalised care settings.
Importantly, there is no single route into becoming a Health and Wellbeing Coach. Many professionals come from healthcare, social care, community services, fitness, mental health, voluntary sector roles, or through career-change pathways. Some also bring valuable lived experience that enhances their ability to support others.
What Does the Training Cover?
The PCI-accredited training programme is designed to equip coaches with the practical skills and knowledge required to work safely and effectively within healthcare settings.
Aligned to the NHS Comprehensive Model for Personalised Care and the PCI Personalised Care Curriculum, training focuses on developing both technical knowledge and coaching capability.
Core topics typically include:
Behaviour change techniques
Motivational coaching
Active listening and effective communication
Goal setting and action planning
Shared decision making
Building confidence and self-efficacy
Personalised care and support planning
Safeguarding and professional boundaries
Many programmes combine theory with practical coaching exercises, reflective learning, and real-world scenarios to help learners develop confidence in applying their skills in practice.
The focus is not simply on learning information but on developing the ability to facilitate meaningful and sustainable change for individuals.
Continuing Your Learning Journey
Alongside the core training requirement, the Personalised Care Institute recommends a range of additional learning opportunities to strengthen personalised care skills and broaden knowledge.
Recommended eLearning modules include:
Personalised Care and Support Planning
Shared Decision Making
Healthy Weight Coach Training
These courses help Health and Wellbeing Coaches build a deeper understanding of personalised healthcare conversations, patient activation, and behaviour change approaches that can be applied across a wide range of patient populations.
Why Do Training Standards Matter?
Health and Wellbeing Coaches often support individuals experiencing complex health and social challenges. These may include long-term conditions, mental health concerns, social isolation, obesity, or difficulties engaging with healthcare services.
Because of the complexity of these situations, appropriate training is essential.
Accredited training helps coaches develop the skills to:
Deliver evidence-based coaching interventions
Work safely within professional boundaries
Support sustainable behaviour change
Provide personalised care effectively
Collaborate confidently within multidisciplinary teams
The PCI curriculum also places significant emphasis on professional behaviours, including empathy, reflective practice, partnership working, and non-judgemental communication.
These skills are fundamental to building trust and helping individuals feel supported throughout their health journey.
The Importance of Supervision and Professional Development
Training is only the beginning of a Health and Wellbeing Coach's development journey.
NHS workforce development frameworks emphasise the importance of ongoing supervision, reflective practice, and continuous professional development (CPD) to maintain safe and effective practice.
Health and Wellbeing Coaches should have access to:
Line management supervision
Clinical supervision where appropriate
Health coaching supervision and CPD support
Regular opportunities to reflect on practice, learn from peers, and access further training help coaches continue to develop their skills and confidence.
Many organisations also support additional learning through webinars, workshops, action learning sets, and specialist training in areas such as trauma-informed care, mental health, and personalised care approaches.
Supporting the Future of Personalised Care
The NHS Long Term Plan highlights the growing importance of prevention, personalised care, and supported self-management in improving health outcomes and reducing pressure on healthcare services.
Health and Wellbeing Coaches are helping to bring these ambitions to life by empowering individuals to make positive, sustainable changes that improve their health and wellbeing.
As healthcare continues to evolve, well-trained Health and Wellbeing Coaches will remain a vital part of the workforce, supporting people to take greater control of their health while contributing to better outcomes for individuals, communities, and the wider NHS.
For those considering a career in health coaching, or organisations looking to strengthen their personalised care workforce, investing in high-quality training is an essential first step.
Explore other Care Coordinator blogs!
Share this post: