Ten health trainer jobs are at risk after a Lincolnshire County Council decision to stop funding the service.
Lincolnshire Community and Voluntary Service (LCVS), which delivers the service in South Holland, Boston and South Kesteven, has begun a restructuring effort to try and retain the service.
LCVS employs ten people – three in South Holland – and hopes to find alternative funding to retain at least some of the positions.
Health trainers help their clients to assess their lifestyles and wellbeing, set goals for improving their health, agree action plans, and provide practical support and information that will help people to change their behaviour.
LCVS chief executive David Fannin said: “Of course we are disappointed. The risk of developing diseases that are affected by lifestyle, and the benefits of healthy eating and exercise for people vulnerable to diabetes and dementia, are widely recognised.
“We have a core group of qualified health trainers who have made a big difference to a lot of people’s lives over the years. We are working on a new business model and are determined to make sure the knowledge, skills and experience of the health trainers is not lost in Lincolnshire.”
In the last financial year, 582 clients completed a personal health plan with an LCVS health trainers working with a health trainer on a one-to-one basis for six to eight weeks to address their own specific hurdles to health.
Mr Fannin said: “Health trainers are a key part of NHS strategies. Health trainers dedicate the time necessary to facilitate real change in lifestyle and behaviour to help clients become less reliant on NHS services.
“We are now seeking to source funding for the service from elsewhere.”
Last year, the county council funded the LCVS health trainer service with £240,000 from the public health budget.
However, in a recent county-wide survey by the council, “services that encourage people to lead healthy lifestyles” came bottom of the public’s priority list for funding. More than 40 per cent of the first 8,000 respondents said that funding should stop entirely, with fewer than 1,000 believing the same level of support (£5.4million) should continue.
Projects already commissioned for LCVS health trainers to deliver will be honoured. They include a pre-diabetes education programme and courses to support people with dementia and their carers in South Holland. Further project work is also under consideration.
