NHS spends £30m a year on wellbeing coaches

THE NHS is spending £30 million a year on health and wellbeing coaches after a hiring spree.

The number employed by services such as GP practices has risen 18-fold in less than three years to more than 1,000 “full-time equivalents”.

The coaches are typically in NHS salary band five, earning at least £28,407 per year, the same as some nurses, midwives and radiographers.

Patient groups have said “the proliferation of ancillary roles like this in GP services raises legitimate concerns about priorities”.

The wellbeing coaches are only required to undertake a four-day training course. Trainees can expect to learn “all the skills needed” in the first two days, followed by skills development and supervised sessions. “Coaches will ideally have completed the first two days of the training before working with patients,” the website says.

The NHS says health and wellbeing coaches are “experts in behaviour change” and improve patients’ “ability to self-manage, motivation levels and commitment to change their lifestyle”.

They help to set personalised goals and work with people with conditions such as type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, stress and weight-related issues.

Based on an assumed full-time starting salary of £28,407, the annual spend on the roles would be £29.9 million.

An NHS spokesman said: “For some health conditions, having a range of staff available in general practice teams, including health and wellbeing coaches, means that patients can get the right help from the right health professional. Health coaches can play a vital role in supporting [patients].”