One You Lincolnshire: Supporting people where they are

For many people, improving health and wellbeing can feel overwhelming. Services are often fragmented, eligibility rules confusing, and knowing where to start can be half the battle. One You Lincolnshire is trying to change that by simplifying access, putting people at the centre of every conversation, and meeting and supporting people where they are.

When Alison from the It's All About People team sat down to record a podcast with Ryan Morrow, Referral and Triage Manager at One You Lincolnshire, Ryan offered a clear insight into what personalised, strengths-based care looks like when it’s done well, and why it matters.

A one-stop-shop approach to health and wellbeing

One You Lincolnshire describes itself as an “Integrated Lifestyle Service” - and that word integrated is key. Rather than asking people to navigate multiple services, the model brings support together under one roof.

Ryan: “We offer people support with health and wellbeing, but different elements of health and wellbeing. It’s a bit of a one-stop shop… so they don’t have to go to different areas or different places across Lincolnshire.”

The service supports people to drink less alcohol, stop smoking, lose weight, move more, reduce falls risk, and manage children’s weight - all free at the point of access. Crucially, people don’t need to know exactly what they need before they make contact.

Ryan: “People often come through with one thing in mind, but it might transpire during that triage call that actually they’re eligible for another pathway as well.”

Personalisation starts with conversation

At the heart of One You Lincolnshire is a simple but powerful idea: start by listening.

When someone is referred, whether by a GP, through self-referral, or by picking up the phone, they don’t just get placed on a pathway. They have a conversation.

Ryan: “Our triage team ring people and talk through the different offers that we have. It’s about making sure people are getting access to the right services.”

These are open, holistic discussions that focus on what matters to the individual, not just the issue they initially presented with. As Alison from the It's All About People team reflected during the podcast, “We don’t always identify in ourselves what it is that we need.”

That’s where personalised care comes alive: not through instruction, but through dialogue.

Strengths-based support and behaviour change

One You Lincolnshire’s approach goes beyond programmes and pathways. For many people, sustainable change depends on motivation, confidence and the ability to overcome barriers - and that’s where health coaching comes in.

Ryan: “(Health Coaches) look more at the behavioural change element of things. It’s not about giving suggestions - it’s about talking with the individual to draw out solutions of their own.”

This is a textbook strengths-based approach. Rather than telling people what to do, the service helps them recognise their own capabilities and motivations. Change happens at the individual’s pace, shaped around their priorities and circumstances.

Alison: “It’s not about saying, ‘You must lose this amount of weight in this amount of time.’ It’s about supporting people with the timescales they’ve got.”

Doing things differently: Taking services to people

One of the most striking examples of personalised, place-based care discussed in the podcast is the One You Lincolnshire Outreach Bus.

Ryan: “We’ve always had a dream of having a One You Lincolnshire bus, because we’ve always been keen to take the service to people if we can.”

Funded through Smoke Free Generation funding, the bus toured nine towns and cities and visited 31 venues across Lincolnshire. 

Ryan: “We looked at areas considered to be more deprived and experiencing more health inequalities. Instead of people having to research services, they could see this big branded bus and interact with us really easily.”

Over the course of the tour, staff spoke to around 750 people, delivered 23 on-the-spot stop-smoking appointments, and made more than 50 referrals into other wellbeing pathways.

Learning, adapting, and improving

Importantly, Ryan was open about what didn’t work as well as what did.

“Some places we thought would be really busy weren’t. We learned quite a lot from it.”

That willingness to learn - and to share learning - is another hallmark of a strengths-based culture. The bus wasn’t about perfection; it was about testing, adapting, and improving.

“It was the first time we’d done this. If anyone else is planning on doing it in the future, we’re always willing to talk through it.”

Working together for whole-person care

One You Lincolnshire didn’t take the Outreach Bus out alone. Other organisations joined them, including Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue and Lincolnshire Domestic Abuse Services.

Ryan: “We didn’t just work as a standalone provider. We invited other people along with us.”

That partnership approach meant people could be supported even if One You Lincolnshire wasn’t the right service for them.

Ryan: “If someone came to us and we weren’t able to support them, we were able to signpost them accordingly.”

As Alison notes, this is what good care should look like: “You wouldn’t just say, ‘That’s not us. See you later.’”

Accessibility, trust, and equity

Accessibility was a recurring theme throughout the conversation. One You Lincolnshire offers support face-to-face, online, phone, and digital platforms contact approaches, recognising that people engage in different ways.

Ryan: “It’s really set up well from an equity of access standpoint."

Trust matters too. GP referrals remain a priority because “if a service is recommended by someone people trust, they’re more likely to take it up.”

The service is also focused on speed. “Our triage team contact people within 48 hours. We don’t want people left in limbo.”

Prevention that benefits everyone

Beyond individual outcomes, Ryan highlights the wider system impact of preventative, personalised care.

“There’s research to prove the effectiveness of One You Lincolnshire. It helps reduce GP appointments and hospital visits.”

That, in turn, reduces pressure on staff, saves money, and allows resources to be reinvested where they’re most needed.

“It’s super important, not just for workload, but from a funding perspective too.”

Conclusion: Personalised care that starts with people

What emerged from this conversation is a clear picture of care done differently - and done better. One You Lincolnshire shows that personalised, strengths-based care doesn’t require complexity. It requires time, listening, partnership, and a willingness to meet people where they are.

Whether that’s through a phone call, a health coaching conversation, or a brightly branded bus parked in a town centre, the principle is the same: start with the person, build on their strengths, and make support accessible.

And when services are designed around people, not systems, everyone benefits.