Community wellbeing

There are 16 Community Wellbeing Programmes across the city covering the neighbourhoods with the worst health.

The initiative grew out of the Health Communities Programme and has been developed in partnership with local people with activities provided through voluntary sector organisations.

The programme focuses on interventions to increase access to services and to tackle the issues which underpin many health problems. It builds on the skills which already exist in these communities. The improving health activities include:

• advocacy work
• social prescribing
• healthy walks
• eating on a budget
• community allotments
• Diabetes support workers
• cook and eat
• CAB advice in primary care
• community stop smoking workers

Introduction to Community Development & Health

The Introduction to Community Development and Health (ICDH) programme recruits local people for a 15 week course to promote confidence, skill-building and self help.

This in turn improves the health and wellbeing of individuals, their families and their neighbourhoods. Several courses run each year, and availability varies across the city.

Community Health Champions

Community Health Champions are volunteers whose role is to support people to eat healthily, be physically active and improve their mental well-being. They help to improve the health of people in Sheffield’s least healthy communities.

Some Health Champions work with people experiencing long term conditions such as chronic pain and diabetes.

Health Trainers

Health Trainers can offer one to one support around changing or leading a healthy lifestyle. A Health Trainer will not tell you what to do, but will ask you what you want to do and how you want to do it.

Health Trainers can:

• support, encourage and motivate you to change or lead a healthy lifestyle
• support you to self-manage your long term conditions
• offer advice and information on healthy eating and increasing physical activity
• offer advice on losing weight and referral to stop smoking support
• help you to work out exactly what you want to change and how to go about it
• accompany you to first appointments (with other services)
• identify groups or activities in your area
• support you in setting your own health goals
• signpost you to other services.

The service is available in all Community Wellbeing Programme areas.