Health Coaching and BeyondEpisode 35 - Occupational Health, Digital Support and the Human Connection
Summary
In this episode, Ollie and Tim come back together to explore what health coaching can offer across two very different but increasingly important areas: workplace wellbeing and the growing use of digital health tools.
Tim reflects on conversations from the NHS Occupational Health & Wellbeing Network annual meeting, where there was strong interest in how health coaching skills could help occupational health teams move further upstream. Rather than waiting until someone is struggling, off sick or preparing to return to work, they discuss the opportunity to involve people earlier and more actively in decisions about their own health and working lives.
The conversation widens into the role of workplace culture, leadership and psychological safety. Ollie and Tim reflect on why trust matters, how vulnerability from leaders can create space for others to speak openly, and why employees feeling able to ask for support or adaptations can be a sign of a healthy organisation rather than a problem to be managed.
They then turn to two recent studies exploring health coaching alongside digital support. Ollie shares findings from the Active Wait study, involving people waiting for hip and knee surgery with lower levels of patient activation.
A second feasibility study, looking at digital support for people living with frailty tells a similar story. While digital tools may offer huge potential, the human relationship can be the thing that helps people engage with them and translate information into meaningful action.
Takeaways
Occupational health has the potential to move further upstream from reactive support towards prevention.
Health coaching skills can help people play a more active role in conversations about staying well, returning to work and workplace adjustments.
Person-centred conversations are not simply about being friendly or supportive, but using deliberate skills that help people think for themselves.
Workplace culture and leadership have a major influence on whether people feel safe enough to speak honestly about what they need.
Being able to ask for adaptations or support can be a sign of trust and psychological safety.
The Active Wait study found high engagement with health coaching among people with lower levels of patient activation.
Small, personally meaningful goals can sometimes unlock wider changes in confidence, mood and activity.
Digital tools can provide useful support, but engagement with them varies considerably.
Health coaching may help people engage more meaningfully with digital health tools.
Creating the space for someone to think, build confidence and take the lead sits at the heart of health coaching.
The future of health coaching may increasingly involve finding the right balance between human relationships and digital support.
Active Wait: Feasibility of Health Coaching Targeting Patients With Low Activation Waiting for Total Hip or Total Knee Replacement - https://www.physiotherapyjournal.com/article/S0031-9406(26)00485-2/abstract
DIALOR: A Feasibility and Acceptability Study of a Digital Health Coaching Intervention for Older People With Frailty in Primary Care - https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40520-026-03499-w