Job summary
We have a fantastic opportunity for a Social Prescriber to join Blackpool Central West Primary Care Network (PCN) team and share our passion and determination to improve the lives of vulnerable people by helping us deliver a comprehensive Social Care Service that meets the needs of our users.
Social prescribing can help to strengthen community resilience 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.
Main duties of the job
You will work across the PCN from each Practice to expand an already high quality social prescribing service.
Clinical obesity increases the
risk of developing chronic conditions, poor mental health and lowers the life
expectancy by approximately 9 years. High levels of depravation are associated
with an increased likelihood of obesity in both adults and children. It is not
just detrimental to health but also to the economic impact as obesity leads to
a lower ability to work or gain employment. Reducing the prevalence of obesity
by just 1% each year would save £300 million across the countries NHS health
and social care budget (figures from a study by Blackpool council)
There are many different groups
working towards weight loss and exercise in Blackpool. We aim to make these groups accessible and available to our population by utilising
social prescribing measures and health checks to find the underlying cause of
their weight gain and link them to the appropriate help.
About us
The PCN is a forward thinking and dynamic group of four practices that has recently formed due to new NHS legislation;
Adelaide Street Family Practice
St Pauls Medical Centre
South King Street Medical Practice
Elizabeth Street surgery
The PCN have worked together for several years as a neighbourhood and have a dedicated team attached to them which contain health and well-being workers; district nurses and a full nursing home team, plus others. We have recently been picked to pilot a social prescribing platform called elemental, working with online referrals to groups of community teams.
Job description
Job responsibilities
To work with the GP surgeries and the attached teams to expand a high quality social prescribing service and support patients to access all community opportunities available. To link people with community and volunteering support, to take charge of their own health and well-being.
Duties
- Act as the main point of contact for allocated GP surgeries and the referred patients.
- Undertake assessments with referred patients to gain an understanding of their life, health condition and how it affects them, and to explore options for social support.
- To receive and action referrals from a wide range of agencies; GP practices; pharmacies; multi-disciplinary teams; hospital discharge teams; social care services; housing and voluntary sectors (this list is not exhaustive)
- Connect patients to local support and services, supporting them to make contact.
- Undertake follow up conversations and visits to ensure that patients have been able to access appropriate services.
- Work closely with the 4 GP surgeries within the PCN to encourage engagement.
- Attend PCN operations meetings and other multi-agency meetings as appropriate.
- Be proactive in seeking out new community support and activities for patients to access.
- Attend Patient Participation Group meetings at GP surgeries
- To gain a group of volunteers to assist with local community work, helping them to start new groups and to find creative community solutions for local issues.
- To encourage people; their families and their carers to provide peer support and to do things together, such as volunteering.
- Participate in meetings/events to promote social prescribing and population health.
- Report any Safeguarding concerns to the appropriate person.
- Work with commissioners and local partners to identify unmet needs within the community
- Assist and support volunteers with small grant applications.
- Ensure that Social prescribing codes are input into EMIS , adhering to data protection and data sharing within the PCN.
General
- Ensure that all activities are monitored and evaluated.
- Attend internal meetings as required.
- Work in accordance with PCN policies, including the equal opportunities policy and practice.
- Attend any training courses and supervision sessions as required.
- Work with due regard to the PCN Health and Safety Policy, ensuring that all practices and procedures are undertaken in accordance with issued guidelines.
- Undertake any other duties as may reasonably be required from time to time.
Special working conditions
- To be prepared to work flexibly, including evenings and weekends if required.
Job description
Job responsibilities
To work with the GP surgeries and the attached teams to expand a high quality social prescribing service and support patients to access all community opportunities available. To link people with community and volunteering support, to take charge of their own health and well-being.
Duties
- Act as the main point of contact for allocated GP surgeries and the referred patients.
- Undertake assessments with referred patients to gain an understanding of their life, health condition and how it affects them, and to explore options for social support.
- To receive and action referrals from a wide range of agencies; GP practices; pharmacies; multi-disciplinary teams; hospital discharge teams; social care services; housing and voluntary sectors (this list is not exhaustive)
- Connect patients to local support and services, supporting them to make contact.
- Undertake follow up conversations and visits to ensure that patients have been able to access appropriate services.
- Work closely with the 4 GP surgeries within the PCN to encourage engagement.
- Attend PCN operations meetings and other multi-agency meetings as appropriate.
- Be proactive in seeking out new community support and activities for patients to access.
- Attend Patient Participation Group meetings at GP surgeries
- To gain a group of volunteers to assist with local community work, helping them to start new groups and to find creative community solutions for local issues.
- To encourage people; their families and their carers to provide peer support and to do things together, such as volunteering.
- Participate in meetings/events to promote social prescribing and population health.
- Report any Safeguarding concerns to the appropriate person.
- Work with commissioners and local partners to identify unmet needs within the community
- Assist and support volunteers with small grant applications.
- Ensure that Social prescribing codes are input into EMIS , adhering to data protection and data sharing within the PCN.
General
- Ensure that all activities are monitored and evaluated.
- Attend internal meetings as required.
- Work in accordance with PCN policies, including the equal opportunities policy and practice.
- Attend any training courses and supervision sessions as required.
- Work with due regard to the PCN Health and Safety Policy, ensuring that all practices and procedures are undertaken in accordance with issued guidelines.
- Undertake any other duties as may reasonably be required from time to time.
Special working conditions
- To be prepared to work flexibly, including evenings and weekends if required.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Good general standard of education
Experience
Essential
- Experience of working in a health or care environment.
- Experience of managing a caseload of clients/patients.
- Proven ability to provide advice and support to clients.
- Experience of working with individuals on a 1:1 basis.
- Experience of project administration, and of coordinating and developing projects.
- Experience of working in partnership with other groups and agencies.
- Experience of researching and producing written reports.
Desirable
- Experience of providing health and wellbeing advice.
- Experience of working with people affected by mental health.
- Previous experience of working with GPs.
- Experience of dealing with safeguarding issues.
Knowledge
Essential
- Good general knowledge of the work and value of the UK Voluntary and Community Sector.
- An understanding of social prescribing models.
Desirable
- Knowledge of voluntary sector resources available in Blackpool
Skills / Abilities
Essential
- Highly organised, able to complete administrative tasks with a high degree of accuracy.
- Ability to collect data for monitoring and evaluation.
- Strong organisational skills, and ability to coordinate information and data from a range of sources.
- Ability to develop strong working relationships with project partners.
- Excellent communication and presentation skills, both oral and
- written with the ability to present information and advice in a way
- that is appropriate to the audience.
- Good IT skills in Word, Excel, Outlook and Powerpoint.
Desirable
Personal Qualities
Essential
- Empathetic and able to develop a good rapport with clients.
- Ability to get on well with people from all walks of life and from diverse ethnic and faith backgrounds.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Good general standard of education
Experience
Essential
- Experience of working in a health or care environment.
- Experience of managing a caseload of clients/patients.
- Proven ability to provide advice and support to clients.
- Experience of working with individuals on a 1:1 basis.
- Experience of project administration, and of coordinating and developing projects.
- Experience of working in partnership with other groups and agencies.
- Experience of researching and producing written reports.
Desirable
- Experience of providing health and wellbeing advice.
- Experience of working with people affected by mental health.
- Previous experience of working with GPs.
- Experience of dealing with safeguarding issues.
Knowledge
Essential
- Good general knowledge of the work and value of the UK Voluntary and Community Sector.
- An understanding of social prescribing models.
Desirable
- Knowledge of voluntary sector resources available in Blackpool
Skills / Abilities
Essential
- Highly organised, able to complete administrative tasks with a high degree of accuracy.
- Ability to collect data for monitoring and evaluation.
- Strong organisational skills, and ability to coordinate information and data from a range of sources.
- Ability to develop strong working relationships with project partners.
- Excellent communication and presentation skills, both oral and
- written with the ability to present information and advice in a way
- that is appropriate to the audience.
- Good IT skills in Word, Excel, Outlook and Powerpoint.
Desirable
Personal Qualities
Essential
- Empathetic and able to develop a good rapport with clients.
- Ability to get on well with people from all walks of life and from diverse ethnic and faith backgrounds.
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.
