Abstract

Introduction: The Health Trainer (HT) role has considerable diversity and polarisation in Public Health service provision across England. Based on a nascent literature on the HT occupational role, the purpose of this study was to build on the understanding of this complex community-based role by exploring the views and perspectives on the occupational role from HTs themselves and their experiences.
Methods: 24 Health Trainers (aged 19-55yrs) were recruited to the study (average: 2.3yrs in service). Semi-structured focus groups (3) allowed participants to discuss their experiences regarding their occupational role and this was digitally recorded and transcribed verbatim. Data were analysed through a process of thematic analysis from a concept-driven design.
Results: Key themes highlighted that HT were suffering from an identity crisis and blurring roles with other professionals. Indeed, they felt alienated and undervalued as a workforce and reported difficulty in communicating with other health professionals. The role was more challenging than ever, having to handle unexpected and complex needs of clients, which they felt overwhelmed and insufficiently trained in dealing with. HTs also recognised that career progression was unclear and potentially stagnating.
Conclusion: The data collected displayed considerable insight into the current perspectives of those involved in undertaking HT duties. The views shared by the HTs have revealed the current challenges to the efficiency of the HT service and highlighted the concerns regarding role recognition and career development in the Public Health workforce.