Why Patient Participation Week Matters for Health and Wellbeing Coach Training

It’s National Patient Participation Week, and as someone who trains health and wellbeing coaches, I’ve been reflecting on what this really means for the people I teach and the clients they go on to serve.

Recently, one of our graduates shared a story with me about working with a client who had been struggling to manage their diabetes for years. Despite having access to excellent medical care, they felt lost between appointments, unsure how to translate their consultant’s advice into daily life.

“The difference,” she told me, “was having someone who could sit with them and work out what would actually work in their real world.”

This conversation stayed with me because it highlights exactly why patient participation matters so much and why the coaches we train play such a vital role in making it actually happen.

What Patient Participation Really Means

The NHS has made tremendous strides in patient participation, from Patient Participation Groups in GP practices to involving patients in research and service design. But when I think about the coaches I train and the work they go on to do, I see that there’s still a significant gap between what happens in clinical settings and what patients need to sustain their wellbeing day to day.

True patient participation isn’t just about being consulted on healthcare decisions. It’s about being genuinely supported to take an active role in your own care, and that’s where the practical, everyday implementation happens.

The Space Between Knowledge and Action

In our training, I often talk about how many people don’t actually need more information about their health, they need practical ways to implement what they already know. This is something I see reflected in the work our graduates do once they’re qualified.

Take stress management, for instance. A GP might quite rightly suggest that reducing stress would help with blood pressure. But how do you actually do that when you’re caring for elderly parents and dealing with financial worries? This is where a health and wellbeing coach can sit with that complexity and help someone find realistic, sustainable ways forward.

The coaches I train aren’t therapists asking people to delve into their past, and they’re not medical professionals diagnosing problems. They’re equipped to work in that practical space between knowing what needs to happen and making it happen.

Teaching Skills for Real Partnership

When I’m designing our training modules, I’m always thinking about this gap.

That’s why we spend considerable time on understanding wellbeing from multiple perspectives, not just the medical model, but looking at the whole person. We teach rapport building, active listening, and how to ask the right questions that help people find their own solutions.

These aren’t just nice-to-have coaching skills, they’re essential for supporting true patient participation. Because participation isn’t just about being consulted; it’s about being genuinely supported to take an active role in your own care.

Where Our Graduates Fit

What excites me about the coaches we train is how they complement the excellent medical care people receive. They’re not replacing healthcare professionals, they’re filling a crucial gap in the support system.

Many of our graduates go on to work alongside NHS services, supporting people between appointments, helping them prepare for consultations, and most importantly, helping them implement the guidance they receive in ways that actually stick.

This is patient participation in action, not just involving people in decisions about their care, but giving them the ongoing support they need to be active partners in their own wellbeing.

Training for Real-World Impact

In our 5-day intensive training, we focus heavily on practical skills because that’s what makes the difference in real patient interactions. We teach coaches how to have different kinds of conversations from those that happen in clinical settings, conversations where there’s time to explore what really matters to someone, what energises them, and what feels sustainable.

We cover emotional health, stress management, habit change, and most importantly, how to help people move from analysis to action. Because I’ve learned that when people feel truly heard and understood, when they’re not rushing through a ten-minute appointment but have skilled support to really think about what might work for them, they often surprise themselves with their own insights and solutions.

Read more about our Course Modules.

 The Growing Need

As I watch the healthcare landscape evolve, I’m increasingly convinced that patient participation requires this kind of ongoing, practical support. The health and wellbeing coaches we train are becoming an essential part of this shift, creating bridges between clinical care and daily life, between knowing what to do and actually doing it.

If you’re someone who feels called to work in this space, to be part of supporting people in their wellbeing journeys in practical, sustainable ways, this is exactly the kind of role health and wellbeing coaching can provide.

Looking Ahead

Patient Participation Week reminds us that true participation isn’t just about involving people in their care, it’s about empowering them to thrive. And that’s work that requires skilled, compassionate people who understand both the science of wellbeing and the art of supporting real change in real lives.

The coaches I have the privilege of training go on to do exactly this work, and I couldn’t be more proud of the difference they make in bridging that crucial gap between healthcare guidance and practical, sustainable implementation.

Because ultimately, patient participation happens not just in the consultation room, but in every moment someone feels supported and equipped to take an active role in their own wellbeing journey.

If this resonates with you and you can see yourself playing a part in this shift, supporting people to take charge of their health in real, practical ways, then our Health & Wellbeing Coach Training could be exactly what you’re looking for.

Whether you’re new to coaching or looking to deepen your impact, we’d love to welcome you onto one of our upcoming courses.

See our upcoming course dates here.