Healthy Lifestyles Support Advisor

North Somerset Council; Weston-super-Mare; Hybrid; GBP 25,000 - 35,000; Full time

Job summary

A local council in Weston-super-Mare is seeking a dedicated Healthy Lifestyles Advisor to support adults in making positive health changes. The role involves providing personalized advice on weight management, physical activity, and smoking cessation through group and one-on-one interventions. Candidates should hold a NVQ level 3 qualification related to public health, and be empathetic and motivated to help those facing health inequalities. The council offers a flexible hybrid working environment and various employee benefits.

Benefits

Competitive salary

Flexible working arrangements

Local Government Pension

Professional development opportunities

Wellbeing support

Qualifications

• Experience managing a caseload of clients with health inequalities.
• Ability to motivate individuals to change health behaviours.
• Willingness to complete additional training as needed.

Responsibilities

• Provide lifestyle advice on weight management and smoking cessation.
• Organize and lead 1-1 and group interventions for health improvement.
• Communicate with agencies to establish referral routes for service.

Skills

Public health knowledge

Empathetic communication

Client caseload management

Healthy lifestyle advice

Education

NVQ level 3 qualification in health-related field

Tools

Case management system

Job description

About Us

North Somerset Council is committed to providing high-quality services to our community. We are committed to creating a fair, green, and more inclusive environment for all our residents. Join us and contribute to making a positive impact on our community.

The Role

If you are enthusiastic about helping people live healthier, happier lives, join our team as a Healthy Lifestyles Advisor!

We are seeking a dedicated and experienced Healthy Lifestyles Advisor to join our Healthy Lifestyles Service. The service is responsible for engaging with, monitoring and empowering adults to adopt positive lifestyle changes.

You’ll support behaviour change focussing on key health improvement topics, to include weight management, eating well, increasing physical activity levels and stopping smoking. Support provided by the service follows evidence-based guidance outlined by OHID, the Chief Medical Officer for England and NICE.

As a signatory of the ‘Why Weight?’ Pledge everyone in the wider Health Improvement team works together to create healthier environments where more people can eat well, feel well and be active. The pledge promotes a compassionate approach to weight and highlights how the conditions in which we are born, grow, live and work can affect our health. We share the understanding that living with obesity is complex and shaped by social, environmental, and economic factors—not just individual choices. We commit to challenge stigma, create supportive environments for all ages and prioritise reducing health inequalities, especially in North Somerset’s deprived and minority communities.

In this role, you will use your specialist knowledge that will be acquired through practical experience or vocational qualifications to support a caseload of adult clients via telephone, video call or face to face in community venues across North Somerset, on a 1-1 and group basis.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide information and advice to clients on a range of health improvement subjects in particular weight management, healthy eating (and drinking less alcohol), increasing physical activity levels and smoking cessation.
• Make recommendations for lifestyle changes, setting plans and timescales for implementation including follow up actions to monitor client progress.
• To organise and lead the delivery of 1-1 and group interventions to include weight management, healthy eating, physical activity and smoking cessation, contributing to the content of sessions and keeping resources and materials up to date.
• Communicate with colleagues and partner agencies to establish referral routes into the service, in particular from groups with poorer health outcomes, those experiencing health inequalities, including from areas in North Somerset with the highest levels of multiple deprivation.
• Maintain an awareness of available services and resources for clients in the local community, build relationships with other services to ably refer the client to that service or resource when appropriate.

Valid driving licence and own transport, or be able to provide alternative, suitable method of travel is an essential condition for this role.

Work Style

At North Somerset Council, we offer a hybrid working environment based on four distinct work styles. Depending on the role and personal circumstances, you will fall into one of these categories. However, please note that during the induction period, it may be necessary to spend more time in the office to support your learning and development. We are flexible and open to discussions about your preferred working style, and if you wish to be in the office more frequently, this can be negotiated.

This role falls into the category of Fixed Worker which means you can expect to work in the following way:

• 3 days in the office
• Spends most or all of their time in the office, due to nature of the work but can be for reasons such as unsuitable home working conditions or a desire for separation of home and work life.
• The office remains a shared space with cultural encouragement for clear desk policies.

About You

We are looking for an individual who is enthusiastic about using person-centred empathetic and non-judgemental approach to motivate and support individuals to change their health behaviours, and who possesses the following skills and experience:

Essential Criteria

• NVQ level 3 qualification relating to public health, health improvement, physical activity, nutrition or behaviour change.
• Additional modular vocational units or equivalent work experience to give technical knowledge specific to particular topic areas of the service such as stop smoking, increasing physical activity levels, weight loss, eating well, reducing alcohol intake and behaviour change.
• Willingness to complete additional training provided by North Somerset Council.
• Experience of managing a caseload of clients experiencing health inequalities and delivering healthy lifestyle advice on a 1-1 and/or group basis, translating health improvement knowledge into practice. This post is exempt under the provisions of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions) Order 1975 and is subject to a Basic Disclosure and Barring Service check.

Desirable Criteria

• Ability to record and evaluate outcomes of 1-1 and group support and recommend solutions to ensure best outcomes for service users.
• Ability to write up case study reports and good news stories.
• Ability to use a case management system and variety of IT systems competently.

What We Offer

At North Somerset Council, we value our employees and provide a supportive and inclusive work environment. We offer:

• Competitive salary and benefits
• Flexible working arrangements
• Local Government Pension
• Opportunities for professional development
• Inclusive Staff groups including Carers, Disabled, LGBTQ+, REACH (Race, Ethnicity, and Cultural Heritage), and Young Staff Forums
• Opportunity to purchase up to an additional 10 days annual leave each year
• Dedicated in-house Wellbeing Team
• Salary sacrifice Cycle to Work and Electric Vehicle schemes