An update on Be Well Doncaster

As we are coming to the end of 2021 we thought we would take this opportunity to update you on Be Well Doncaster, have a look at what the programme has achieved over the past year and what we have in store for 2022.

Be Well Doncaster is a Health and Wellbeing service available to the residents of Doncaster. The programme launched in March 2021 and during this time we have received over 340 referrals.

We are a team of fully trained health coaches who work with clients on a one to one basis to improve their health and wellbeing, by supporting them to make small, daily adjustments to their lifestyle, which overtime will improve their health.

Be Well offers up to six, one to one tailored sessions for clients. Sessions with coaches can be between 9am-7pm, Monday to Friday at a range of community venues across the borough. The service is completely free and is available to all Doncaster residents aged 18+.

Areas our Coaches can support include but is not limited to:

Healthy Eating

Sleep Issues

Low mood

Debt support

Stress and anxiety

Managing a long term health condition

Referral process

Organisations can refer clients to Be Well electronically via the Doncaster Council website: https://www.doncaster.gov.uk/Eforms/BusGenEform/Index/1853

We have also set up a self-referral service to make it easier for clients to get in touch with us directly. Residents can self-refer themselves to the programme by texting BeWell followed by their full name and the area where they live to 82228. (eg BeWell Joe Bloggs, Bentley) and a Coach will be in touch within 2 working days to arrange an appointment.

Peer Groups

Be Well has a range of Peer Groups running across Doncaster to support people living with long term health conditions such as Fibromyalgia, Diabetes and Respiratory Diseases. Peer groups are a great way of meeting people in the community who share a similar lived experience. It is an opportunity to learn from others and share practical advice and tips to help residents self-manage their condition, all over a cup of tea.

Our peer groups meet once a month for around 1 hour in a range of community venues across the borough. The peer groups are shaped around the preferences, needs and values of the members.

Our guest speakers this year have included community dietitians, pharmacists and Tai Chi and Fitness Instructors. The peer groups have also taken part in aromatherapy and mindfulness sessions and have recently got into the festive spirit by making Christmas wreaths.

All our peer groups are free to attend. They are a great opportunity to listen and learn from others as well as share knowledge. To find out what Peer Groups are available in your local area email BeWellDoncaster@doncaster.gov.uk for a list of groups.

What is in store for 2022….

Evaluation of Be Well Doncaster

Be Well Doncaster is currently being externally evaluated by a team at the Centre for Behavioural Science and Applied Psychology at Sheffield Hallam University. The team are currently analysing 9 months of data from the programme as well as interviews from coaches and clients. We hope that building an evaluation into the first year of the programme will provide us with the opportunity to shape and make improvements for the coming years. We look forward to sharing this report with you when it is published in February 2022.

Wellbeing peer groups

We know that the pandemic has had a huge impact on people’s wellbeing and we are seeing this though the referrals to our service. After ‘weight management’ the second most common reason people are referred to Be Well is for ‘mental health, anxiety and low mood’. We are keen for our clients to receive ongoing support in the community after their coaching sessions have come to an end. For this reason we will be setting up 4 ‘Wellbeing’ Peer Groups across the borough, the groups will be based on the ‘5 Ways to Wellbeing’ (https://bit.ly/3J68Kzl), as evidence suggests building these actions into our day to day lives is important for our health. We will be publicising the dates and locations of these groups in the New Year, check out our Facebook page @BeWellDoncaster for all our updates or email BeWellDoncaster@doncaster.gov.uk.