Social Prescriber / Social Prescribing Link Worker
Job Description
Job summary
As a Social Prescriber , you'll work closely with GP practices and the wider multidisciplinary team to support people whose health and wellbeing are affected by social, emotional or practical issues.
This post is available as either a Band 4 Developmental Social Prescriber or a Band 5 Social Prescriber , depending on your qualifications, experience and knowledge. If appointed at Band 4 , you will receive structured support, supervision and development to build the skills and competencies required to progress to a Band 5 Social Prescriber.
You'll spend time understanding what matters most to each individual, helping them identify their goals and connecting them with local services, community groups and voluntary organisations that can improve their wellbeing.
No two days are the same. You may be supporting someone experiencing loneliness, helping a patient access housing or financial advice, connecting carers with local support, or working alongside healthcare professionals to reduce health inequalities across our communities. Throughout the role, you'll develop strong relationships with community partners and play an important part in delivering personalised, preventative care.
A full driving licence & access to a car for work purposes is required.
Main duties of the job
As a Social Prescriber, you will:
- Manage a caseload of patients referred by GP practices and partner organisations.
- Work with individuals to understand what matters most to them and identify goals to improve their health and wellbeing.
- Develop personalised support plans using a holistic, person-centred approach.
- Signpost and connect people to local community groups, voluntary organisations and statutory services.
- Build strong working relationships with GP practices, the wider multidisciplinary team and community partners.
- Support patients to improve independence, reduce isolation and access appropriate support.
- Carry out appointments in GP practices, community venues, and by telephone, where appropriate.
- Identify when a patient's needs require referral to another healthcare professional or specialist service.
- Maintain accurate clinical records and collect outcome data using the appropriate clinical systems.
- Promote social prescribing across the Primary Care Network and contribute to reducing health inequalities.
- Develop knowledge of local services and community resources to ensure patients receive the most appropriate support.
- Work in line with safeguarding, information governance, confidentiality and lone working policies.
- Participate in regular supervision, training and continuing professional development.
About us
St Helens Central Primary Care Network (PCN) is made up of eight GP practices working together to provide joined-up, patient-centred care to over 40,000 patients.
We have a strong multidisciplinary team including GPs, Advanced Practitioners, Pharmacists, Care Coordinators, Health & Wellbeing Coaches, Mental Health Practitioners and Social Prescribers. Our aim is to provide proactive, preventative care that helps people remain independent and improves health outcomes.
We're looking for a compassionate, motivated individual to join our growing team as a Social Prescriber.
This is an exciting opportunity for someone who enjoys working directly with people, building relationships within the local community and helping individuals access the right support at the right time.
Job responsibilities
Key responsibilities
Working under the supervision of the wider PCN Team, take referrals from the PCNs Core Network Practices and from a wide range of agencies, including pharmacies, wider multi-disciplinary teams, hospital discharge teams, allied health professionals, fire service, police, job centres, social care services, housing associations, and voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) organisations (list not exhaustive).
Provide personalised support to individuals, their families and carers to take control of their health and wellbeing, live independently and improve their health access and outcomes, as a key member of the PCN multi-disciplinary team. Develop trusting relationships by giving people time and focus on what matters to me. Take a holistic approach, based on the persons priorities and the wider determinants of health. Co-produce a simple personalised care and support plan to improve health and wellbeing, introducing or reconnecting people to appropriate community groups and statutory services. The role will require managing and prioritising your own caseload, in accordance with the needs, priorities and any urgent support required by individuals on the caseload. It is vital that you have a strong awareness and understanding of when it is appropriate or necessary to refer people back to other health professionals/agencies, when the persons needs are beyond the scope of the link worker role e.g. when there is a mental health need requiring a qualified practitioner.
Work with a diverse range of people and communities, to draw on and increase the strengths and capacities of local communities, enabling local VCSE organisations and community groups to receive social prescribing referrals.
Alongside other members of the PCN multi-disciplinary team, work collaboratively with all local diverse partners to contribute towards supporting the local VCSE organisations and community groups to become sustainable and that community assets are nurtured, through sharing intelligence regarding any gaps or problems identified in local provision with commissioners and local authorities.
Social prescribing link workers will have a key role in educating non-clinical and clinical staff within their PCN multi-disciplinary teams on what other services are available within the community and how and when patients can access them. This may include verbal or written advice and guidance.
Key Tasks
Referrals
Promote social prescribing, its role in self-management, addressing health inequalities and the wider determinants of health.
As part of the PCN multi-disciplinary team, build relationships with staff in GP practices within the local PCN, attending relevant MDT meetings, giving information and feedback on social prescribing.
Be proactive in developing strong links with all local agencies to encourage referrals, recognising what they need to be confident in the service to make appropriate referrals.
Work in partnership with all local agencies to raise awareness of social prescribing and how partnership working can reduce pressure on statutory services, improve health access and outcomes and enable a holistic approach to care.
Provide referral agencies with regular updates about social prescribing, including training for their staff and how to access information to encourage appropriate referrals.
Seek regular feedback about the quality of service and impact of social prescribing on referral agencies.
Be proactive in encouraging equality and inclusion, through self-referrals and connecting with all diverse local communities, particularly those communities that statutory agencies may find hard to reach.
Provide personalised support
Meet people on a one-to-one basis, making home visits where appropriate within organisations policies and procedures. Give people time to tell their stories and focus on what matters to me. Build trust and respect with the person, providing non-judgemental and non-discriminatory support, respecting diversity and lifestyle choices. Work from a strength-based approach focusing on a persons assets.
Be a friendly and engaging source of information about health, wellbeing and prevention approaches.
Help people identify the wider issues that impact on their health and wellbeing, such as debt, poor housing, being unemployed, loneliness and caring responsibilities.
Work with the person, their families and carers and consider how they can all be supported through social prescribing.
Help people maintain or regain independence through living skills, adaptations, enablement approaches and simple safeguards.
Work with individuals to co-produce a simple personalised support plan to address the persons health and wellbeing needs based on the persons priorities, interests, values, cultural and religious/faith needs and motivations including what they can expect from the groups, activities and services they are being connected to and what the person can do for themselves to improve their health and wellbeing.
Where appropriate, physically introduce people to culturally appropriate community groups, activities and statutory services, ensuring they are comfortable, feel valued and respected. Follow up to ensure they are happy, able to engage, included and receiving good support.
Where people may be eligible for a personal health budget, help them to explore this option as a way of providing funded, personalised support to be independent, including helping people to gain skills for ...
