Health and Wellbeing Training and Resources
Below there are a range of free health and wellbeing training sessions and resources that health professionals, community groups and individuals can access.
We have printable presentations, information about booking onto different training sessions, as well as some self help resources.
If training dates have passed, some sessions will be available to view under videos of previous training sessions.
Making Every Contact Count (MECC) is about using our everyday conversations to help people make positive changes to their physical and mental health and wellbeing. The free training will help you to encourage people to think about change and offer help such as signposting to local services and groups or by providing further information.
The 3 hour online MECC training covers:
- How you can support someone to explore their own health and wellbeing
- How using more effective responses can help people to find their own solutions
- How you can support someone to think about their own behaviour change plan
The MECC training is delivered for free by Everyone Health Staffordshire. It is suitable for any workforce that interacts with the public and has the opportunity to support health and wellbeing. To book a place, visit the Bookwhen website.
Alternatively, if you would like to discuss arranging an in-house session for your team (minimum 6 participants), please email: zoewilliams@everyonehealth.co.uk
Gain new knowledge and skills to support people in your community to stay healthy and independent for longer.
The training sessions are delivered online by Support Staffordshire. Each session lasts for 1 hour. All sessions are free to attend.
There are a range of different training sessions:
This session covers common mental health problems and symptoms, how to support someone who is struggling and where to look for professional support.
- Do you know what mental ill health means?
- Would you know how to communicate with someone who's struggling?
- Would you like to know how to improve mental wellbeing?
Training dates
In this session you’ll explore Staffordshire County Council’s website, which contains lots of information, advice and guidance to help older people stay healthy and independent. You’ll get a tour of Staffordshire’s amazing online directory called ‘Staffordshire Connects’. You’ll also receive information on how to signpost to further support. This session will cover:
- Information, advice and guidance for older people on Staffordshire County Council's website
- Using Staffordshire Connects effectively
- Signposting to further support
Training dates
In this session you’ll learn ‘active listening’ techniques and you’ll explore the importance of body language. There will be information on how to engage effectively with people, for example, you’ll learn techniques on how to build confidence levels. The session will also cover how to deal with safeguarding concerns – what to say, how to respond and who to report them to. This session will cover:
- Communicating effectively
- Dealing with a safeguarding concern
Training dates
This session will help you to remove the barriers to enable others to stay connected. You’ll also explore a range of simple, affordable, but extremely useful items of daily living equipment and technology that can help older people to stay independent in their own homes. These can range from big button telephones that can help people to stay in touch with others, grabbers that can help people with mobility issues, and items that can help people with preparing meals, eating and drinking. There are so many useful items to discover! This session will cover:
- Daily living equipment and technology
- Digital skills
Training dates
If you would prefer to watch a recorded video of the training sessions at a more convenient time, the training sessions below are available to view on YouTube.
Once you’ve watched a session, you can email training@supportstaffordshire.org.uk to obtain a course evaluation, and once completed a certificate will then be emailed to you.
This is a 90 minute online session delivered by Support Staffordshire, funded by Health Education England.
The training is for anyone who has contact with those most in need in our communities.
The course aims to equip you with knowledge and skills to spot risks and refer to other services in the following topics:
- Cold / fuel poverty
- Debt
- Carer stress
- Loneliness
- Medication use
- Mental health issues
- Dementia
To book a place on this training, visit Support Staffordshire's training and events page, call 01785 413162 or email training@supportstaffordshire.org.uk
#TalkSuicide is a suicide prevention campaign that aims to bring individuals, organisations and businesses together to help prevent suicide in Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent.
Suicide prevention training is available for free. Watch the interactive online training from the Zero Suicide Alliance, and in 20 minutes you can gain the skills to save a life.
Half-day suicide awareness and prevention training sessions are also available, delivered online by North Staffs Mind. These fully funded sessions will help you to:
- Tackle misconceptions and stigma regarding suicide
- Recognise the signs that someone may be at risk
- Have an open and honest dialogue about suicide
- Use a simple 4 step suicide intervention
- Signpost to local support services
To book a place on this training, please contact: Lorna Scott. Email: lorna.scott@combined.nhs.uk Mobile: 07498 731406
There are a range of tools and resources that health professionals, community groups and individuals can access, to help support people’s health and wellbeing:
Healthy lifestyle support
Everyone Health Staffordshire offer a free healthy lifestyle service to Staffordshire residents to help them lose weight, get more active, stop smoking and get an NHS Health Check. For more information, visit their website, call 0333 005 0095, or email eh.staffs@nhs.net.
Drug and alcohol support
Human Kind provide a specialist alcohol and substance misuse treatment and recovery service called STARS (Staffordshire Treatment and Recovery Service) for adults aged 18 years and over. For more information, visit their website.
Human Kind also provide T3 STARS (Staffordshire Treatment and Recovery Service for Young People) for young people up to 20 years old. For more information, visit their website.
Sexual health support
There are a number of sexual health centres across Staffordshire, where people can get advice about and receive a variety of different types of contraception. They can also get tested for sexually transmitted infections and receive treatments.
Diabetes support
Staffordshire residents can use the ‘know your risk of Type 2 diabetes tool’ to find out if they are at risk of developing Type 2 diabetes. This only takes a few minutes to complete.
If they are at high risk, they may be eligible for free support from the Healthier You: NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme in Staffordshire.
Mental health support
There are a range of mental health support services across Staffordshire that Staffordshire residents can access.
Staffordshire Connects
Staffordshire Connects is our easy to use online directory. It provides details about hundreds of different care, support and wellbeing organisations, local activities, clubs and community groups taking place across Staffordshire.
Health and wellbeing app finder tool
Health and wellbeing apps can help people to manage their own health, but there are thousands to choose from and not all apps can be trusted to offer clinically proven and up to date advice.
To help Staffordshire residents to manage their health digitally, they can now use the Health and Wellbeing App Finder tool. It features apps covering a range of health and wellbeing topics, including stopping smoking, mental wellbeing, keeping active and weight loss.
Entitled To – Benefit Calculator
Staffordshire’s 'entitled to' benefits calculator is a free online calculator that enables people to find out what benefits they may be entitled to. It takes around 10 minutes to complete and all details provided are anonymous.
Cannock Chase Can
Cannock Chase Can is a local programme to help residents improve their health and wellbeing. For further information, updates and developments visit their website or their Facebook page ‘Cannock Chase Can’. A new mobile app is available to download for free from Google Play and the App store. The app will provide local residents with the tools to improve their own health and wellbeing.
Staffordshire Warmer Homes
Staffordshire Warmer Homes is a scheme run by Staffordshire County Council, in partnership with district and borough councils. Their goal is to combat fuel poverty across the county and help residents to heat their home. For more information, visit their website.
Below are a range of PowerPoint presentations about staying healthy and independent. Please use them to help share information with:
- Work colleagues
- Community groups
- Family and friends
Please feel free to download, save and amend them. They include optional activities for you to use.
The slides will be kept up to date with current information. Please keep coming back to this page for the most up to date version.
Dehydration and older people (348 KB)
Common signs and symptoms of dehydration activity (95 KB)
Malnutrition and older people (156 KB)
Falls and older people (134 KB)
Physical activity for older people (112 KB)
Taking medicines safely and effectively (7.10 MB)