Ascent Health and Wellbeing

Health & Wellbeing Coaches

Role Overview - 

WHAT Do We Do?

We focus on improving health related conditions and those at risk of developing them. We support people to manage and improve their physical and mental health and wellbeing. Are you ready to change? Do you need help with motivation or suggestions to get there? Success comes to those willing to try and open to ideas, suggestions and improving their knowledge and understanding of their circumstances.

WHAT We Help With

We help with improving people’s self-management by developing motivation, knowledge, skills and confidence around a variety of issues/conditions including:

-Weight and diet

-Activity levels

-Stress, mood, low level mental health

-Diabetes control

-Cardiovascular disease and Blood Pressure management

-Coping with new health diagnosis and events

-End of life care

-Persistent pain

 

HOW We Do This

We do this through coaching skills, applying models of behavior change and positive psychology to guide people on how to meet their personal health and wellbeing goals.

 

Health and Wellbeing Service Poster

 

Health & Wellbeing Coach - Emily Collinson

Emily supports Walnut Tree and Fishermead Practices primarily.

All Emily's previous experiences have shaped the way she feels and motivates her to continue to help people believe and feel more positively so to live the best life they can. Up to the age of 19 Emily played badminton and was ranked in the Top 40 in the world, she then studied Sports Therapy at University.
Most recently she has worked as a Therapy Assistant on the Respiratory, Cardiology, ITU and Surgical Wards at Milton Keynes Hospital, during the Covid Pandemic, framing her clinical knowledge and understanding of how significant health conditions impact on wellbeing. 

Health Conditions Emily can provide specialist support with:
Sporting injuries, children in sport, children's health and wellbeing, getting active.
Low confidence, stress management, respiratory conditions limiting wellbeing, anger, anxiety, healthy nutrition. 


Work Schedule -

Walnut Tree - Tuesdays and Thursdays

Fishermead - Wednesdays and Fridays

Appointments:

Initial Triage Appointments available via a referral from your Receptionist. Just ask to be referred to the PCN Health and Wellbeing Coach and Emily will be in touch within a few days to see if Coaching is suitable for you. A course of up to 6 Coaching sessions can be offered if appropriate.

Brief Intervention Appointments are offered via the practice Care-Coordinator on a scheduled basis. 

Health and Wellbeing Coach - Natalie Coghlan

Natalie supports Asplands Medical Centre

Natalie has a specialist interest in diet having being a Nutritionist for over 15 years. During these years, Natalie dedicated her time to understanding research into the most effective dietary behaviours than can truly help people live a healthy and happy life.

Natalie has recently developed a specialist interest in Women's Health, helping women understand their own hormones and helping them find lifestyle changes to be able to thrive in life. 

Health Conditions Natalie can provide specialist support with:

Fertility, blood sugar level management, fatigue and brain fog, sleep difficulties, stress management, weight managmeent, perimenopause and menopause, inflammatory diseases, low self-confidence. 

Natalie knows the mind and body are intrinsically linked. She guides and supports people to take proactive steps to imporve their physical and mental health and allow then to reach their health and wellbeing goals. By looking holistically at an individual's lifestyle and circumstances, she is able to indentify the root cause, give insignt to where your change blockers are and how to start focussing on acheiving those goals. 

 

Work Schedule - 

Asplands - Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays

Appointments:

Initial Triage Appointments available via a referral from your Receptionist. Just ask to be referred to the PCN Health and Wellbeing Coach and Natalie will be in touch within a few days to see if Coaching is suitable for you. A course of up to 6 coaching sessions can be offered if appropriate.

Brief Intervention Appointments are offered via the practice Care Co-ordinator on a scheduled basis

Occupational Therapist - Deepika Lawrence

Role Overview - 

An Occupational Therapist (OT) isn't anything to do with your "Occupation" or employment. An OT assists people living with disability or long term conditions that affect ability to perform their day to day activities. Our day to day activities are what we do normally everyday, like getting washed and dressed, preparing a meal, using the toilet/ bath/ shower, managing our medication, our hobbies, etc. Occupational Therapy aims to help patients remain safe in their homes and keep them functioning and active as long and as easily as possible.
An Occupational Therapy assessment usually involves a home visit so that recommendations can be tailor-made specific to your environment. 

Some examples of how your OT can help:
  • Recommending alternate methods of carrying out your day to day tasks
  • Prescribing equipment to assist you at home
  • Falls prevention assessments
  • Dementia reviews and memory screening tests
  • Advice on adaptations or how to make your home meet your needs
  • Referring on to other specialist teams if appropriate.
Deepika is also the PCN lead on Frailty and proactive care and she is conducting research in conjunction with the University of Bedfordshire on this subject. You may be contacted for an over 65s or over 75s review as part of her targetted project work. 
 
Appointments - by referral only
  • Must be over 18 years of age
  • Must be registered at one of the PCN surgeries: Asplands, Woburn, Fishermead or Walnut Tree
You can be referred by your practice clinicians or request referral to the Occupational Therapist (OT) directly by contacting your Practice Reception team asking for a referral to the "PCN OT". 
Deepika will then be in touch within a few days to do an initial assessment of your needs and arrange any follow-up visits.


Work Schedule -

Across the 3 Practices for home visits and assessments Monday to Friday