How does it work?

Ways to Wellness provides you with a link worker to help you identify and work to overcome barriers to managing your long-term condition. Your link worker can help by providing:

• Someone to talk to confidentially
• Someone who will not judge you or talk down to you
• Someone who is practical and helpful
• Someone who can help you decide what you’d like to do to feel healthier
• Someone who can find you activities that will suit you and who can in some instances go along with you to start with, so that you don’t have to go on your own
• Someone who can help you arrange appointments with medical services at times that suit you
• Someone who can give you support along the way
• Someone who can help you take control

Once you have been referred to Ways to Wellness by your GP or practice nurse, your link worker will arrange to meet you in your local area to talk through your needs and what you would like to achieve. Together you will develop an action plan. You will then see your link worker regularly over the following months and they will support and encourage you to stay on track.

Your action plan may include:

• Getting involved in local groups and activities
• Developing positive relationships
• Accessing specialist services and support
• Healthy eating and cooking
• Getting more active
• Getting support around benefits and welfare rights

How will I benefit?

You will be supported to build and maintain your confidence to self-manage areas like exercise or dietary changes, anxiety or depression. We will also work with you to help you make positive choices and improve your ability to talk with healthcare professionals about your care options.

It can be difficult for people with long-term health conditions to always feel in control of symptoms, manage changes to their lifestyle and digest all the information they are given by healthcare professionals.

With support from your Ways to Wellness link worker you will develop an action plan to build your skills, knowledge and confidence to start taking control of your health condition, rather than let it control you.

In our videos, our clients explain how Ways to Wellness has helped them.