PCN Social Prescribing Link Worker

Lakeside Healthcare Group

The closing date is 08 December 2024

Job summary

Social Prescribing Link Workers give patients time to focus on what matters to them. They are responsible for connecting people within their communities to groups and statutory services that provide emotional and practical support.

Social Prescribing Link Workers will support and aid patients with varying needs, such as those living with long term conditions, those who have a low mood or are isolated, and/or those with complex social needs. The role of the link worker is to provide support to these patients to navigate their needs to improve their health, wellbeing and reduce feelings of isolation with the aim to support patients to integrate in their communities.

As part of the NHS Long Term Plan to drive Universal Personalised Care, it is aimed to benefit 2.5 millions people by March 2024. Social Prescribing is a key component to this.

Main duties of the job

As a member of the PCN Personalised Care Team, the post holder will work alongside other Social Prescribing Link Workers Health & Wellbeing Coaches and Care Coordinators within the PCN and wider business group to provide a service that focuses on What Matters To Me for each patients who requires this level of practical or emotional support. An interest in participating in the creation of new services or implementing new ideas that will benefit local people is essential.

You will work with patients to provide to support and empower them to take control of their own health and wellbeing. You will work in collaboration with health care professionals local community groups, statutory groups, and voluntary services to help patients gain access to resources that will help them with debt poor housing, physical inactivity, and befriending services. You will be a key contact for patients and will enable them to feel the support from their wider community. The post holder will need to have full understanding that each patient that they encounter will be unique and their needs will require a dynamic approach.

The successful candidate will be require to have an innate ability to communicate effectively to provide support and empower patients to find their voice. Working across a scope of professionals, you will need to understand the importance of relaying information whilst maintaining confidentiality. An active listener is essential to be able to fulfil the role to its potential.

About us

LAKESIDE HEALTHCARE is changing the face of primary care provision in England. We are bold adventurous and ambitious and determined to thrive in uncertain times. We are the largest true partnership in the NHS and operate from various sites across the East Midlands. We serve the healthcare needs of over 170,000 patients across Northamptonshire Lincolnshire Peterborough & Cambridgeshire.

About the Practice/Department/Team

PCNs were introduced in July 2020 as part of the NHS Long Term Plan, to encourage more collaborative and joint up thinking working across GP surgeries with its local communities providing additional services and programmes to support population health.

This role will be based within the South Peterborough PCN, spanning across the geography of New Queen Street, Old Fletton, Wansford and Yaxley surgeries. It covers SP PCN the main base will be Wansford ability to travel is essential. The PCN is forward thinking led by an innovative Clinical Director.

Date posted

26 November 2024

Pay scheme

Other

Salary

£24,500 a year Dependent on Experience

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

A3007-24-0303

Job locations

Lakeside Healthcare

Landsdowne Road

Yaxley

Peterborough

PE7 3JL

Job description

Job responsibilities

Lakeside Healthcare are looking to employ Community Link Workers Social Prescribing to assist in the provision of care for patients within our Primary Care Network PCN.

The PCNs vision is to work together to deliver the best possible outcomes for our patients and staff. You will work in close partnership with our member practice teams as well as health, statutory and voluntary groups to create effective help and support for those that need it whilst being a key point of contact to enable patients to be supported within their local community.

Empowering people to take control of their health and wellbeing through GP referral to non-medical Community Link Workers CLWs based in GP surgeries who give time, focus on what matters to me and take a holistic approach, connecting people to community groups and statutory services for practical and emotional support. Community Link Workers work collaboratively with all local partners.

Social prescribing can help to strengthen community and personal resilience and reduces health inequalities by addressing the wider determinants of health, such as debt, poor housing, and physical inactivity, by increasing peoples active involvement with their local communities. It particularly works for people with long-term conditions including support for mental health, for people who are lonely or isolated, or have complex social needs which affect their wellbeing.

Key responsibilities

Liaise and engage with member practices to ensure Community Link Workers SPLWs are valued and effective members of the PCN team.

Establish and maintain effective liaison with stakeholders including health, voluntary, social, financial and education resources

Work in partnership with local voluntary and community organisation to build a comprehensive directory of local resource to design and support social prescribing

Ensure information on local voluntary and community resource is always up to date to enable effective and accurate signposting and linking of patients with services

Train and develop wider practice teams to improve SPLW referral suitability and effectiveness

Establish and maintain comprehensive data and evaluation systems

Produce quarterly reports in relation to service delivery and progress

Partake in audit as directed by the PCN Clinical Director

Take referrals from and make referrals to a wide range of appropriate agencies

Ensure the social prescribing function within the PCN is successful and delivers the required service in line with NSHE guidelines

Co-produce personalised support plans with individuals, their families and carers that help them take control of their wellbeing, live independently and improve their health outcomes

Take a holistic approach, based on the persons priorities and the wider determinants of health

When appropriate, refer patients back to other health professionals/agencies, if their requirements exceed the scope of a SPLW

Ensure all relevant groups and organisations maintain basic procedures that include the consideration of vulnerable individuals and safeguarding concerns

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 and support development of new groups and services where needed, and thereby influence the development of services that will benefit this target population and tackle health and neighbourhood inequalities

Work sensitively with people, their families and carers to capture key information, enable tracking of the impact of social prescribing on their health and wellbeing

Provide one-to-one consultations mindful of the organisations lone working policy, giving patients time to tell their stories and focus on what matters to me

Work with the person, their families and carers and consider how they can all be supported through social prescribing

Work with other link workers to create a wider team understanding of the service that can be offered to patients and opportunities for further improvement of the offer and patient outcomes