Social Prescribing Link Worker
- NHS
- Full Time
- Bishop Auckland
- 25728.00 a year
Job Description
Job summary
The successful candidate will work on an outreach project for early diagnosis of cancer across Durham Dales. Raising awareness of cancer screening, signs and symptoms of cancer and promoting engagement into our primary care settings. The self-motivated staff member will follow initiatives of early diagnosis which will lead to early detection and reducing the burden of late stages of cancer treatment which improves survival rate and patients outcomes.
Main duties of the job
Planning and organising cancer awareness events within a variety of different venues/locations across Durham Dales.
Attending events such cattle marts. agricultural shows, village shows, helping to raise awareness of different types of cancer.
Receiving and actioning referrals from a wide range of agencies, working with GP practices within primary care networks, pharmacies, 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).
Providing personalised support to individuals, their families and carers to enable them to take control of their wellbeing, live independently and improve their health outcomes. Develop trusting relationships by giving people time and focus on what matters to them. Taking a holistic approach, based on the persons priorities and the wider determinants of health.
It is vital that the Social Prescribing Link Worker has a strong awareness and understanding of when it is appropriate or necessary to refer people back to other health professionals or agencies.
About us
The postholder will be employed by Durham Dales Health Federation (DDHF). The role will be across the Durham Dales area.
DDHF is a federation of 12 GP practices across Durham Dales who came together, looking for a solution to help them provide the care patients needed, share resources and ideas, and be prepared for the challenges the NHS would face in the future. The answer they came up with was a formal collaboration between the dozen practices: the Durham Dales Health Federation.
DDHFs founding principal is to work together to provide high-quality, cost effective primary healthcare services. That means providing a range of services that all GP practices in the area can use to help look after patients.
We employ a range of Clinical staff; Pharmacists, Advanced Clinical Practitioners, GPs and Health Care Coordinators. We also employ Additional Reimbursement Role Scheme including Social Prescribing Link Workers, Care Coordinators and Health and Wellbeing coaches as well as non-clinical, administration support staff.
DDHF are able to offer an NHS pension and offer a lease car scheme. There is also a loyalty scheme for holidays, dependent on the amount of years worked within the NHS.
Job responsibilities
Build a robust knowledge of health, social and third sector provision available within the Durham Dales and surrounding areas
Promote social prescribing, its role in self-management, and the wider determinants of health.
Act as an advocate for patients and service users of the health and social care system.
Build relationships with key staff in GP practices within the local Primary Care Network (PCN). Attend relevant meetings and integrate as part of the wider network team, providing information and feedback on social prescribing matters.
Work proactively to develop strong links with all local agencies to encourage referrals, to recognise their requirements and enable confident approach to making referrals.
Work in partnership with all local agencies to raise awareness of social prescribing and demonstrate how partnership working can reduce pressure on statutory services, improve health outcomes and enable a holistic approach to care.
Provide referral agencies with regular updates relating to social prescribing, and include training for their staff to promote effective access to information and encourage appropriate referrals.
Work proactively in encouraging self-referrals and connecting with all local communities, particularly those communities that statutory agencies may find hard to reach.
The Social Prescribing Link Worker will have the capability of performing minor clinical skills such as Basic Monitoring and Recording of Vital Signs, Blood Pressure Monitoring, ECGs on behalf of the DDHF and GP practices. These skills may be carried out in GP Practice, hub setting or the community.
To support patients on discharge from hospital admission.
Build relationships with patients, their families and carers and carry out regular telephone consultations and reviews within the GP practice or community setting.
Meet people on a one-to-one basis, undertaking 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 with the person, providing non-judgmental support, respecting diversity and lifestyle choices. Work from a strength-based approach focusing on a persons assets.
Anticipate barriers to communication.
Be a friendly source of information about 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.
Communicate effectively with patients, families and carers recognising the need for alternative communication methods of communication to overcome different levels of understanding, cultural background and preferred ways of communicating.
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; based on the persons priorities, interests, values 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 community groups, activities and statutory services, ensuring they are comfortable. Provide follow-up to ensure that they are happy, engaged, included and receiving good support.
Where people may be eligible for a personal health budget, assist them to explore this option as a way of providing funded, personalised support to be independent, including helping people to gain skills for meaningful employment, where appropriate. Support community groups and VCSE organisations to receive referrals.
Forge strong links with local VCSE organisations, community and neighborhood to promote micro-commissioning or small grants if available.
Develop supportive relationships with local VCSE organisations, community groups and statutory services, to make timely, appropriate and supported referrals for the person being introduced.
Ensure that local community groups and VCSE organisations being referred to have basic procedures in place for ensuring that vulnerable individuals are safe and, where there are safeguarding concerns, work with all partners to deal appropriately with issues. Where such policies and procedures are not in place, support groups, to work towards this standard before referrals are made to them.
Check that community groups and VCSE organisations meet in insured premises and that health and safety requirements are in place. Where such policies and procedures are not in place, support groups, to work towards this standard before referrals are made to them.
Support local groups to act in accordance with information governance policies and procedures, ensuring compliance with the Data Protection Act.
Work collectively with all local partners to ensure community groups are strong and sustainable
Work with commissioners and local partners to identify unmet needs within the community and gaps in community provision.
Support local partners and commissioners to develop new groups and services where needed, through small grants for community groups, micro-commissioning and development support.
Work with commissioners and local partners to identify unmet needs within the community and gaps in community provision.
Support local partners and commissioners to develop new groups and services where needed, through small grants for community groups, micro-commissioning and development support.
Encourage people who have been connected to community support through social prescribing
to volunteer and give their time freely to others, in order to build their skills and confidence, and strengthen community resilience.
Data capture
Produce accurate, contemporaneous and complete records of patient contact, consistent with legislation, policies and procedures.
Work sensitively and effectively with people, their families and carers to capture key information, enabling tracking of the impact of social prescribing on their health and wellbeing.
Build relationships with patients, their families and carers and carry out regular telephone consultations and reviews within the GP practice or ...
