HT2 Communicate with individuals about promoting their health and wellbeing

Overview

This standard is about communicating with individuals about how they can improve their health and wellbeing so they can develop healthy behaviours and lifestyles. This includes: - providing information to individuals about health and wellbeing - providing information to individuals about the relationship between behaviours and health - enabling individuals to develop their knowledge and skills about health and wellbeing. This standard will help individuals move from the pre-contemplative to the contemplative stage ie help them be ready to change their behaviour. Users of this standard will need to ensure that practice reflects up to date information and policies. Version No 1

Knowledge and Understanding

You will need to know and understand:

1. that health and illness is affected by people�s perceptions and is different in different societies and groups
2. the kinds of misinformation that people may have about health and wellbeing and the affect of this on their behaviour
3. the things that affect health and wellbeing � individual determinants (eg behaviour and lifestyle) and the wider determinants on health (eg poverty, employment etc)
4. the different ways in which the health and wellbeing of individuals is promoted�
5. the evidence about how individuals can promote their own health, including by changing behaviour
6. the contributions of different agencies to promoting individuals� health and wellbeing and how to contact these agencies
7. the different arguments that people have against promoting health and wellbeing and how to use counter-arguments
8. how to apply negotiating and influencing skills in working with others to promote health and wellbeing and reduce inequalities
9. the financial and social costs of poor health and wellbeing and the need to identify the benefits of improving health
10. the legislation that relates to own work and how it affects own work
11. the policies and procedures of the employing organisation (including those relating to confidentiality, health and safety, equality and diversity)
12. the data storage and retrieval systems in own organisation
13. the principles of effective communication with:
1. communities
2. people in own and other agencies
14. own role and responsibilities and from whom assistance and advice should be sought if necessary
15. the principles of equality, diversity and anti-discriminatory practice to work and how to apply these in own work
16. how to develop your own competence and the benefits of doing this.

Performance Criteria

You must be able to do the following:

1. communicate in a way that
1. is appropriate to the individuals
2. encourages an open and frank exchange of views
3. minimises any constraints
4. is free from discrimination and oppression
5. is open to the range of issues that individuals wish to explore
6. acknowledges their right to make their own decisions
7. helps them to make their own decisions
2. provide clear, up-to-date and relevant information to individuals about
1. health and wellbeing
2. things that might affect their health and wellbeing
3. the things they can do to improve their health and wellbeing
4. other people and agencies who might be able to help them improve their health and wellbeing
3. encourage individuals to
1. identify the things that are affecting their health and wellbeing
2. identify their views about health and wellbeing
3. identify their knowledge and skills about health and wellbeing and any gaps in these
4. take responsibility for changing their own behaviour
5. learn how to change their behaviour
4. enable individuals to
1. get hold of up-to-date appropriate information and advice when they need it
2. access appropriate support.

Additional Information

This National Occupational Standard was developed by Skills for Health. This standard links with the following dimension within the NHS Knowledge and Skills Framework (October 2004): Dimension: HWB1 Promotion of health and wellbeing and prevention of adverse affects on health and wellbeing