East Riding Community Health Champions

Community Health Champions / Healthtrainer Team CHC / Healthtrainer Service Manager Natalie Belt - Coastal Health Improvement Worker Anthony Bryce –

Project History In 2008, Altogether Better was awarded £6.8 million funding from the Big Lottery Health and Well-Being Fund to deliver 16 flagship projects across Yorkshire and Humber who recruit Community and Workplace health champions from neighbourhoods with the highest risk of poor health. Community and Workplace Health Champions volunteer to take part in the projects, they receive training and support to improve their knowledge of health and well-being issues and in many cases, go on to complete accredited courses. To date, there are over 15,000 Altogether Better Community Health Champions working voluntarily on a wide range of projects in a broad variety of community and business settings from leading health walks, exercise classes and football teams, to delivering healthy eating sessions, supporting individuals to stop smoking, providing support sessions, buddying isolated friends and neighbours to developing local health and well-being networks. Altogether Better Community and Workplace Health Champions have now connected with at least 90,000 people in their local areas and we believe they are unlocking barriers to improving the health and well-being of groups of people who are traditionally very hard to reach or influence.

What are Community Health Champions Community Health Champions are individuals who are engaged, trained and supported to volunteer and use their life experience, understanding and position of influence to help their friends, families and work colleagues lead healthier lives. Community Health Champions not only inspire and support other people they voluntarily bring their ability to relate to people and their own life experience to transform health and well-being in their communities. Within their families, communities and workplaces Community Health Champions empower and motivate people to get involved in healthy social activities, create groups to meet local needs and sign post people to relevant support and services. Community Health Champions help others to enjoy healthier lives by raising awareness of health and healthy choices, sharing health messages, removing barriers and creating supportive networks and environments.

Community Health Champions in the East Riding There are currently over 50 CHC’s within the East Riding of Yorkshire. CHC’s within the East Riding of Yorkshire have been split into various levels (Level 1, 2 and 3) subject to how involved / how much time they have to volunteer towards the programme. See Appendix 1 Individual CHC’s have been trained on the NHS lifecheck tool and in doing so have been empowered to help themselves and their family / friends / colleagues make positive lifestyle changes. The CHC’s with support from the healthtrainer service have completed over 700 online lifechecks in 2011, the highest number within the Yorkshire & Humber region. Many CHC’s have helped at Health Promotion events throughout the East Riding as well as helping on public health courses such as Stress Factor. Many CHC’s undertake their role whilst going about their normal daily routine; interacting with people on opportunistic basis, signposting and referring them to other services should this be required. Many CHC’s have attended the Public Health Workshop, HEALTH CHAT and are actively promoting the key messages learnt to their family, friends & colleagues. Key themes are smoking, alcohol awareness, falls prevention, ageing, obesity & emotional wellbeing.

Community Health Champions Criteria Are you interested in health issues and living a healthy lifestyle? Are you interested in increasing your knowledge and awareness of health issues in communities? Would you like to make a difference to the health of those around you? Would you like to make a difference to the health of those living within the East Riding of Yorkshire?

Community Health Champions East Riding of Yorkshire CHC programme offers a unique and fun opportunity for individuals to become part of making the East Riding of Yorkshire a healthier place to live, by becoming a Health Champion in the local community.

Community Health Champions The project involves local people at every level and creates a step change in healthy, active lifestyles that fundamentally improves the East Riding’s health problems for generations to come.

Community Health Champions The aim of the East Riding of Yorkshire CHC programme is to empower local people to make a difference to the overall health of the East Riding by helping to improve the health choices that they, their families and friends make.

Becoming a Community Health Champion for the local community is a great opportunity for individuals: to make a difference improve job prospects learn new skills gain confidence from experiencing new situations have fun at the same time

What next? Future Sustainability Continue and improve FREE Healthy Lifestyle Training to CHC’s that will include accredited courses and by delivering an e-learning course that can be accessed online through a computer. Training to be broken into various sections including; Understanding health within the East Riding, focus on Smoking; Weight Management / Obesity; Alcohol Awareness; Ageing, Emotional Wellbeing and Physical Activity. Create a CHC webpage linked to the ‘new’ HEALTHTRAINER website. The continued rollout of Health Chat (Public Health Workshop) which will continue to help improve skills, knowledge and experience. Create a CHC recruitment leaflet (to attract new Champions onto the programme). Carry out a number of Focus Groups throughout the East Riding and in doing so provide a voice for CHC’s in planning future health work / training needs / experience on the CHC programme. Set up links to provide work experience placements to CHC’s within the East Riding of Yorkshire / improve links with NHS Humber FT volunteer service Create a CHC Newsletter and continue to improve engagement and communication with CHC’s and both internal and external stakeholders.