From the beginning we have reshaped this course from participants guidance and feedback - some examples are given below.   There has also been formal evaluation in a parallel research programme, commissioned by Greater Glasgow and Clyde Health Board,  and carried out by the Academic Departments at the NHS Centre for Integrative Care. These results have also been been used by the clinical team in re-design cycles.

A Phase II evaluation is now underway. This will deepen the enquiry, including a focus on the change and healing  processes that participants are reporting.  It will include  the development of the WEL into StaffWEL and PrimaryWEL versions.

Wellness Enhancement Learning - An Evaluation of The WEL for CFS/ME

&  Evolving a Model of Service Development & Evaluation in Long Term Conditions

This formal evaluation report of the Phase I evaluation of TheWEL programme. 

Here are example of the end of  participant course feedback after Week 4

TheWEL Journey
Results & Development

Here’s an overall project  summary up to February 2013, placed in the context in the  2012 Annual Report of The Healing Shift Enquiry which is the parent project.  It includes  an outline of the initial developments, and the growth into the StaffWEL and PrimaryWEL versions. It also includes the results to date of the Phase II Evaluation project showing confirmation of the earlier Phase I work and augmenting that with new findings, deeper methods, longer follow-up and pilot biological results.

Now includes the AfterNow Learning Journey Summary Report

The page below is in three sections -

The WEL Journey Summary - here you’ll find an overall summary of TheWEL development, placing it in the context of the parent Healing Shift Enquiry, an abstract of the formal evaluation, update on current results, an abstract from an external evaluation Learning Journey, and examples of participants feedback.

The AfterNOW Learing Journey Abstract - short abstract of the report of an external evaluation group visit in January 2012.

Feedback and Evaluation - This has some example participant feedback and a download of the formal report of the Phase I Evaluation Programme

A abstract of the report from AfterNOW team

and partners January 2012

Visiting team:  

Phil Hanlon, Andrew Lyon, Sandra Carlisle, Margaret Hannah (Cultural Influence on Wellbeing Project & AfterNOW); Cath Krawczyk (Public Health Advisor, late of GG&CHB);  Research Team: Desiree Cox, Patrick Quinn, Charles Clark.

The WEL programme supports the movement from a medical model of patient care to one of self-enablement and wellness enhancement.  The programme has been successfully used with both individual patients and groups. By 2010, around 700 patients had benefited from the programme and a StaffWEL version for professional healthcare staff began in 2010. In 2011 a PrimaryWEL version was launched in partnership with Nairn Healthcare Group, which has involved 43 staff and 18 patients so far.

We visited this programme over three days in January 2012. We met senior practice staff, and18 StaffWEL participants from a range of healthcare disciplines, and 11 patients. During the course of extended and in-depth conversations with these groups, supplemented by a range of individual interviews, it became clear that we were witnessing evidence of a remarkable qualitative change in participants’ capacity for self-care, resilience and wellbeing – staff and patients alike. They recognized their experience as one of a ‘healing shift’ and described a developing sense of compassion for themselves and for others. Staff had developed greater understanding of and empathy for their patients, and understood the importance of self-work, whilst their patients now understood the healthcare relationship as a joint enterprise, with shared responsibility. The sense of energy and purpose, enthusiasm and renewed meaning in life and work generated by participation in this programme was readily apparent to the observing group.

Although the precise nature of the subtle but deep changes which had evidently taken place sometimes proved hard to articulate, these were nevertheless manifest in patients’ new acceptance of their condition and their responsibility for purposeful work on their own health and wellbeing. We also heard of the unexpected but positive effects on family life, not least in terms of healthy eating and improved family relationships. Effects also extended into the working lives of staff participants, where ‘care’ had a new, deeper meaning.  The ‘healing shift’ appears to be embodied and lived, rather than simply a cognitive change.  Participants at all levels were eager to see this approach transferred to the broader community, and other service sectors.

We are convinced that the implications of this approach for public health policy, and for the future of the NHS in Scotland, now deserve the most careful consideration.

The interim evaluation results of the multi-partner Phase II of TheWEL programmes.  These are part of the 2012 Annual Report of The Healing Shift Enquiry which is the larger parent project.

The download here is short summary of The WEL principles and a sketch of example results up to June 2014.  For a fuller background and analysis please see the Annual Report section below.