Social Prescribing Link Worker

Job description

Job responsibilities

General Duties / Key Responsibilities

Provide care within own competence and seek advice or refer to colleagues when appropriate, ensuring that practice is effective, relevant, evidence-based and of a high standard.

Develop knowledge of local services to enable patients to access a range of services to meet their needs and ensure they are engaged and connected with their local community and other organisations and groups to make best use of resources.

Take referrals from the local network(s) and work with the referrer and the patient to plan a holistic based approach to care to include a personalised care plan.

Assess patients health and wellbeing needs to ensure they can be met by services and other opportunities available within the community.

Provide personalised support to individuals, their families and carers to take control of their health and wellbeing based on the persons priorities and wider determinants of health.

Work with patients to produce a simple-to-follow personalised care plan to address patients health and wellbeing needs by introducing or re-connecting patients with access to community groups or statutory services. This can be based on their priorities, interests, values and motivations, including what they can expect from participation with groups, activities and services they will connect with through social prescribing referrals.

Evaluate how the care and support plan(s) are meeting the individuals health and wellbeing needs, and take a holistic approach based on the persons priorities and the wider determinants of health.

Help patients identify wider issues that impact on their health and wellbeing, such as debt, poor housing, unemployment, loneliness and caring responsibilities.

Promote the role of social prescriber in-house and the wider community.

Need to manage and prioritise their own caseload in accordance with the health and wellbeing needs of their local population needs, referring patients to other health professionals within the PCN as necessary.

Develop effective working relationships with local voluntary, community and social enterprise organisations (VCSE) and community groups make and receive timely, appropriate and supported referrals.

Work collaboratively with local networks (inc. PCN and other local partners) to build strong links with VCSE organisations, neighbourhood and community groups to identify gaps or problems in local provision with commissioners and local authorities.

Share information with GPs and primary care staff, either written or verbally, about the services available within the community and how and when patients can access them, updating as necessary on an ongoing basis.

Engage with the neighbourhood team to improve links with community/ voluntary services.

Communicate effectively with clinical and non-clinical colleagues to ensure the smooth running of the practices.

Liaise with members of the Primary Care, community services, hospitals, and other agencies (such as local authority, social services and voluntary agencies) to assure appropriate care is provided for patients.

Communicate effectively with patients and carers, recognising their needs for alternative methods of communication.

Demonstrate sensitive communication styles to ensure patients are fully informed and consent to treatment.

Act as an advocate when representing patients and colleagues.

Person Specification

Experience

Essential

• Self-motivated
• Be able to gather unbiased information
• Reliable, honest and flexible

Desirable

• Experience of working directly in a community development context, adult health and social care, learning support or public health/health improvement (including unpaid work) Positive outlook
• Experience of supporting people, their families and carers in a related role (including unpaid work)
• Be able to think clearly and analytically
• Experience of supporting people with their mental health, either in a paid, unpaid or informal capacity.
• Experience of working with the VCSE sector (in a paid or unpaid capacity), including with volunteers and small community groups
• Experience of partnership/collaborative working and of building relationships across a variety of organisations

Knowledge and Skills

Essential

• Ability to listen, empathise with people and provide person centred support in a non-judgemental way
• Commitment to reducing health inequalities and proactively working to reach people in all communities
• Able to support people in a way that inspires trust and confidence, motivating others to reach their potential
• Able to communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing, with people, their families, carers, community groups, partner agencies and stakeholders.
• Ability to identify risk and assess/manage risk when working with individuals
• Ability to maintain effective working relationships and to promote collaborative practice with all colleagues
• Commitment to collaborative working with all local agencies (including VCSE organisations and community groups).
• Able to work with others to reduce hierarchies and find creative solutions to community issues
• Ability to organise, plan and prioritise on own initiative, including when under pressure and meeting deadlines
• Knowledge of and ability to work to policies and procedures, including confidentiality, safeguarding, lone working, information governance and health and safety
• Ability to travel across the PCN

Desirable

• A good understanding of General Practice and MDT working.
• Knowledge of the personalised care approach
• Knowledge of VCSE and community services in the PCN

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Employer details

Employer name

Meadowgreen Health Centre

Address

Jordanthorpe Health Centre

1 Dyche Close

Sheffield

S8 8DJ

Employer's website

https://meadowgreenhealthcentre.co.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)