Healthy Lifestyle Adviser – Emergency Department Lifestyle Pilot

One You Kent Service overview

The Emergency Department (ED) Lifestyle Pilot is a 12-month prevention and health inequalities initiative delivered within Emergency Department waiting areas across Kent. The service aims to use waiting time as an opportunity to engage patients and accompanying family members in meaningful conversations about their health, wellbeing and lifestyle.

The pilot will provide a visible, accessible and non-judgemental health promotion service that supports individuals to identify lifestyle risks, improve wellbeing and access appropriate support services. The service is based on the principles of Making Every Contact Count (MECC), behaviour change, trauma-informed practice and reducing health inequalities.

Lifestyle Advisers will work alongside ED teams to provide brief interventions relating to smoking, alcohol, healthy weight, physical activity, diet, emotional wellbeing, loneliness and wider social support needs. Advisers will agree simple action plans with individuals and make referrals into lifestyle, community and wellbeing services where appropriate.

The pilot aims to engage approximately 7,000 individuals during the first 12 months while testing the feasibility and effectiveness of delivering preventative public health interventions within Emergency Department settings.

Role purpose

To deliver a high-quality lifestyle intervention service within Emergency Department waiting areas, engaging patients and visitors in person-centred conversations about health and wellbeing. The post holder will provide brief behaviour change interventions, undertake lifestyle assessments, support individuals to develop action plans, and facilitate referrals into appropriate health, wellbeing and community services.

The post holder will act as the frontline representative of the pilot, working collaboratively with hospital staff, commissioners and community partners to maximise engagement, improve health outcomes and reduce health inequalities.

Are you

• An experienced practitioner working in a community health or wellbeing environment, supporting individuals to make positive lifestyle changes.
• Passionate about empowering clients to set and achieve realistic, client-led goals using evidence-based behaviour-change approaches.
• Inspirational, positive and encouraging, with the ability to motivate and support clients to build confidence, overcome barriers and sustain healthy lifestyle changes.
• Proactive and solution-focused, able to identify challenges to behaviour change and adapt support to meet individual needs.
• An effective communicator who can engage, listen and tailor messages to suit diverse clients and communities.
• Skilled at building trusting, supportive relationships with clients, colleagues and partners to encourage engagement and sustained participation.
• Open-minded and reflective, motivated by new ideas and approaches to continually improve practice and outcomes for clients.

The successful candidate will engage with patients, relatives and carers in Emergency Department waiting areas, delivering brief, non-judgemental interventions using behaviour change and motivational interviewing techniques to promote healthier lifestyles and wellbeing. They will conduct lifestyle assessments covering smoking, alcohol, physical activity, healthy eating, healthy weight and wellbeing, alongside relevant health screening such as blood pressure, carbon monoxide and alcohol screening where appropriate. The role will involve supporting individuals to identify personal goals and develop practical action plans, as well as referring and signposting them to appropriate smoking cessation, weight management, healthy lifestyle, community, voluntary and social prescribing services in line with MECC principles. The postholder will develop positive relationships with Emergency Department staff and wider internal and external stakeholders, promote awareness of the pilot, and contribute to the development of effective referral pathways and service outcomes. They will maintain accurate and timely records, collect relevant activity, outcome and demographic data, support service evaluation and reporting, and maintain up-to-date knowledge of local services and referral pathways. The successful candidate will also adhere to organisational policies, safeguarding and clinical governance requirements, maintain confidentiality and GDPR compliance, appropriately escalate any safeguarding, risk or clinical concerns, and participate in supervision, training, partnership meetings, service development and continuous professional development.

• Birthday Day off
• Flexible Annual Leave scheme
• Employee Referral scheme
• 37.5 hours working week
• Flu jabs
• Blue Light Card
• Cycle to work scheme
• Leadership and staff away days
• Training and Development

Please note that we are not able to offer sponsorship for this role