The coaching approach and why it works
Engaging and empowering your patients to look after themselves well is an essential ingredient in any health system. The recent Lord Darzi review of the NHS highlighted this as his key recommendation for reviving the NHS.
Health coaching is widely recognised as a set of skills and a way of working – a mindset – that is focused on building patient autonomy and agency.
Its central focus is to build confidence and capability of people to look after themselves. In doing so, they become a key asset to themselves and to us as service providers.
Peak Health Coaching is a company set up by GPs Ollie Hart and Tim Williams. Over their careers and through training thousands of staff in the NHS, they have seen the value of applying health coaching, to enable patients to be more active and effective participants in their care.
The Greater Manchester Proactive and Personalised Care Programme included an overview of health coaching principles, including the island-hopping metaphor. The island-hopping theme was used to weave in coaching skills and approaches, helping to shape how the whole project was delivered.
