What does a Community Health and Wellbeing Worker do?
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The wonderful thing about the care sector, is that the care it provides isn’t always medical.
There are care professionals that can help with other life changes too, such as anxiety, social barriers, and helping people gain access to further useful services.
But, who are these care workers? What is their role? How can people interested get into roles like this? And, what does it all mean for the wider care arena?/
tend is here to break it all down, and reveal who these wonderful people are, and the amazing work they do for communities across the UK.
What is a Community Health and Wellbeing Worker?
A Community Health and Wellbeing Worker (CHWW) is a frontline professional who supports individuals, families, and communities to support health, wellbeing, and healthy lifestyle challenges, as well as helping local people gain access to services they might not otherwise have known were available to them.
The role is all about finding solutions for people who need them the most. They are usually found in local, community-based settings, such as:
- GP surgeries
- Local authorities
- Community Hubs
- Charity organisations
- Voluntary services
- Public health programmes
- Housing associations
- Mental health and wellbeing services
The CHWW facilitates prevention, early intervention, and empowerment, rather than clinical treatment. That said, the support they provide is paramount. It is one of the most person-centred and impact-focussed roles in the entire care sector.
What duties does a Community Health and Wellbeing Worker carry out?
Typically, CHWWs help people with the following concerns:
- Improving health and wellbeing – helping people to quit smoking, manage chronic, long-term illnesses, and improve their nutrition and exercise habits
- Connecting people to services and support – making referrals, signposting to community groups, helping people to access GPs, pharmacies, and social care
- Providing social prescribing support – working in groups that encourage hobbies, reduce loneliness, prevent isolation, and improve emotional wellbeing
- Community outreach and engagement – running youth groups, older adult networks, faith organisations, community groups
- Raising awareness – health education, wellbeing workshops, helping people understand health inequalities, delivering public health campaigns
- Understanding local needs – gathering feedback from local residents and helping organisations to shape their services accordingly
CHWWs play a crucial role in reducing health inequalities, building trust, promoting wellbeing for all, and reinforcing a sense of community and unity amongst people in local areas.
What types of people do Community Health and Wellbeing Workers support?
CHWWs are there to support anyone who needs help and advice on improving their health, happiness, and access to services.
People like:
- Senior citizens
- Sufferers of chronic conditions
- People in poverty
- Those who are socially excluded
- Disabled people
- Mental health service users
- Individuals struggling to access healthcare
- Families effected by housing issues
In short, CHWWs support people whose health is shaped not just by the state of their health, but also, life’s circumstances.
What impact do Community Health and Wellbeing Workers have?
The impact CHWWs bring to the care sector and the country is immeasurable. By enabling people to understand and manage their health more efficiently and easily, they help to reduce things like preventable illnesses, hospital admissions, and A&E visits, as well as significantly elevate the quality of life for people who had little-to-no support or guidance before.
In some areas of the country, language barriers and social changes create health inequalities. CHWWs ensure everyone has access to the same level of healthcare, regardless of this situation. This is considered one of the biggest contributions to the care sector today.
CHWWs literally help bring people together, connecting communities that were previously fragmented, empowering residents to build resilience and trust – things that are vital to good health and vitality.
This person-centred, community-driven approach is what is referred to as a ‘slow burn’, in that, it takes time to build to a point where the benefits begin to show results. However, this is what makes these improvements sustainable for years to come.
How does the Community Health and Wellbeing Worker role fit into the wider care sector?
CHWWs sit at the intersection of:
- Public health
- Primary care
- Adult social care
- Mental health
- Voluntary services
- Social prescribing
The role represents a shift towards preventative care, which in itself, reduced pressure on NHS trusts, hospitals and GP practices.
By tackling social determinants of health, CHWWs are in a key strategic position to integrate care systems, and truly make a difference in vulnerable, marginalised communities. In short, they are the connective tissue of community health.
What skills does a Community Health and Wellbeing Worker need to have?
The skills of a CHWW are not dissimilar to those required for person-centred, EDI-compliant care.
Empathy plays a key role in building trust with diverse individuals and groups. As does emotional intelligence. A deep understanding about how certain circumstances will affect people is paramount for anyone wanting to succeed as a Community Health and Wellbeing Worker.
Other key CHWW skills include:
- Active listening
- Relationship building
- Coaching and motivational skills
- Cultural awareness
- Problem solving
- Organisation and planning
- Knowledge of safeguarding
These abilities will stand anyone interested in becoming a CHWW in good stead.
How apprenticeships and training prepare workers for the role
This profession has a specific apprenticeship dedicated to every aspect of the CHWW role, which we are proud to offer at tend. The Level 3 Community Health and Wellbeing Worker apprenticeship teaches:
- Behaviour change theories
- Person centred approaches
- Strengths-based strategies
- Community development
- Health and wellbeing coaching
- Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI)
- Rapport building
- Public health awareness
- Motivational techniques
- Evaluation skills
Apprenticeships are so effective because they place the learner in real-life roles while learning the skills to master them. It’s so much more than earning while learning. It’s building experience while gaining skill.
tend is a great choice of training provider, because we are care sector-specific in our offerings. This means we are uniquely attuned to the sector our learners are working in, and the Development Coaches teaching the curriculums are themselves care sector qualified.
Final thoughts
Community Health and Wellbeing Workers (CHWWs) are the beating heart of townships, villages, and housing estates across the UK. They are essential to the good health and wellbeing of residents in their radius, signposting to services they can utilise, and supporting in the face of life’s challenges.
CHWWs represent the future of health and care. The role is proactive, as opposed to reactive, relieving pressure on health services providing treatment. If you can get ahead of the hurdles, you don’t have to jump them, so to speak.
It is an emotionally rewarding role for care workers both entering the sector, or wanting to specialise in this particular area. It helps people to feel connected to one another. Humans are pack animals. Building a sense of community, in addition to tangible togetherness, is a vital aspect of sustainable wellbeing.
Not all healing requires medical assistance. CHWWs understand this acutely, and are actively providing a service that helps people to help themselves and to feel supported. For those reasons, The Community Health and Wellbeing Worker role provides a deeply fulfilling career to anyone who enters into it.
Ready to explore the CHWW role in more detail? Reach out to our team today. Call 01753 596 004 or hit the button below.
