The Health Trainers initiative initially started up as a pilot programme in Tower Hamlets funded by the Neighbourhood Renewal Fund (NRF). Since the launch of the project, the scheme has been a huge success and now has been mainstreamed by the Tower Hamlets NHS for a further two years. Osmani Trust is one of the appointed host organisations commissioned amongst three others for their capacity and skills to develop and deliver the Health Trainers programme to a wide range of populations with diverse health needs.

The scheme follows recommendations made in the government’s white paper ‘Choosing Health: making healthier choices easier’ (2004) and is part of the government’s plans to encourage healthier lifestyles after evidence of widespread obesity and ill-health. The move reflects the concerns raised by local communities over the inequality of standards of health.

“Health inequalities are the result of a complex and wide-ranging network of factors. People who experience material disadvantage, poor housing, lower educational attainment, insecure employment or homelessness are among those more likely to suffer poorer health outcomes and an earlier death compared with the rest of the population.” (Department of Health, 2007)