The policy context

The Occupational Role of the Lay Health Trainer in England: A Review of Practice

“…In terms of health and wellbeing, it is clear that the HT role has 'touched' the lives of many people from disadvantaged communities across England [5,7,53], with the benefits also extending to HTs and their own families [38,43,55]. The review has illustrated, however, the ambiguity [66] tensions and contradictions [67,68] associated with HTs' roles, occupational identity, and integration into the wider PH workforce.…”

“…Evidence suggests that LHW/CHW are an effective resource in the endeavour to improve PH services such as breast cancer screening, vaccination uptake, smoking cessation, HIV prevention, improving back pain, type 2 diabetes management, and the diagnosis and treatment of acute respiratory infection in children [33][34][35]. Indeed, LHW/CHW provide important roles in community health [34,38] including as: community food workers [39], peer educators [40,41], breastfeeding support workers [42] and walking-for-health leaders [43]. In relation to the HT context, Visram, Clarke, and White [13] identified a lacuna in the exploration of service-user experiences and views that should inform the development of the initiative.…”

“…For example, HTs reported a sense of accomplishment when helping the health and wellbeing of community people [5,7,53] and expressed appreciation of the skills, experience and knowledge they gained [51]. They have also reported increased levels of self-confidence and self-esteem and a sense of fulfilment [54]; these aspects have enhanced HTs' confidence levels and employment progression [38,51,55]. To date, there has been limited research exploring the lived or embodied experiences of the HT role using an advanced qualitative inquiry.…”

“…It has been argued by some [53,56] that the HT role can be likened to other non-professional lay health worker roles, vis-à-vis working at the community level and targeting individuals with specific health issues from particular communities [38]. As an innovative type of health worker, HTs have a crucial role in supporting individuals within the community to make healthier lifestyle choices [3,5].…”