Job responsibilities
Chester le Street PCN
JOB DESCRIPTION
POST TITLE: Social Prescriber Link Worker
SALARY: Entry
point £23,949 pa WTE
RESPONSIBLE TO: Business Manager/Practice Manager
Chester le Street GP Practices
have a single Primary Care Network (PCN) incorporating all areas of Chester le
Street and surrounding villages. The PCN
is a collaborative of the 7 GP practices in the area with a registered
population of over 60,000 patients
As a Social Prescriber Link Worker
you will play a key role in the multi disciplinary teams of the Primary Care
Network.
JOB PURPOSE:
The main purpose of this post is to deliver a Social
Prescribing Service to the patients within the Chester le Street Primary Care
Network.
The post holder will join an established team and work with
the Practices within the PCN to support patients by providing a patient centred
assessment with the aim of addressing all issues that are affecting health and
wellbeing. The post holder will ensure
Social Prescribing empowers individuals by connecting them to other people,
community groups and statutory services that take decisive action to reach
positive outcomes.
Social Prescribing has an important role to play in
strengthening personal resilience by addressing the wider determinants of
health, such as debt, poor housing and physical activity and by increasing
peoples active involvement with their local communities. It can have a significant benefit 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.
The job description and person specification are an outline
of the tasks, responsibilities and outcomes required of the role. The job
holder will carry out any other duties as may reasonable be required by their
line manager.
PRIMARY DUTIES
AND AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITIES
Social prescribing link workers will take referrals from a range of
agencies in order to support the health and wellbeing of patients
assess how far
a patients health and wellbeing needs can be met by services and other
opportunities available in the community;
co-produce a
simple personalised care and support plan to address the patients health and
wellbeing needs by introducing or reconnecting people to community groups and
statutory services;
evaluate how
far the actions in the care and support plan are meeting the individuals
health and wellbeing needs;
provide
personalised support to individuals, their families and carers to take control
of their health and wellbeing, live independently and improve their health
outcomes;
develop
trusting relationships by giving people time and focus on what matters to
them;
take a
holistic approach, based on the persons priorities, and the wider determinants
of health.
The role will require social prescribing link workers to manage and
prioritise their own caseload, in accordance with the health and wellbeing
needs of their population. Where required and as appropriate, the social
prescribing link workers will refer people back to other health professionals.
The post holder will work as part of the Durham Wellbeing Alliance MDT to
triage patients when appropriate and share best practice.
REFERRALS:
Promoting
social prescribing and its role in self-management.
Help to
develop the knowledge on how to identify individuals suitable for a social
prescribing referral.
Build
relationships with key staff across the PCN and Community teams, attending
relevant meetings and being part of the wider network team.
Be proactive with
developing strong links with all local agencies to encourage referrals, recognising
what they need to be confident in the service to make an appropriate referral.
Work with all local
agencies to raise awareness of social prescribing and how it can reduce
pressure on statutory services, improve health outcomes and enable a holistic approach.
Be proactive in
encouraging self referrals to the Durham Wellbeing Alliance and connecting with
all local communities, particularly those communities that statutory agencies
may find hard to reach.
SUPPORTING
COMMUNITY GROUPS AND VOLUNTARY ORGANISATIONS:
Forge strong links
with local voluntary organisations, community and neighbourhood level groups,
utilising their networks and building on what is already available to create a
map or menu of community groups.
Develop supportive relationships
with local voluntary organisations, community groups and statutory services to
make timely, appropriate referrals.
Ensure that
local voluntary organisations and community groups have procedures in place for
ensuring that vulnerable individuals are safe and, where there are any
safeguarding concerns these are promptly escalated.
All Post Holders are expected to:
Adhere to Practice policies and procedures
Adhere to data protection regulations, data sharing and respecting
confidentiality of patients, colleagues and the Primary Care Network
Undertake a Disclosures and Barring Service (DBS) application
Be committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young
people and vulnerable adults
Maintain personal and professional development in order to maintain their
skills
Promote equality and diversity in a non-discriminatory way.
Contractual Responsibilities:
Confidentiality
While seeking
treatment, patients entrust us with, or allow us to gather, sensitive
information in relation to their health and other matters. They do so in
confidence and have the right to expect that staff will respect their privacy
and act appropriately
In the performance of
the duties outlined in this job description, the post-holder may have access to
confidential information relating to patients and their carers, practice staff
and other healthcare workers. They may also have access to information relating
to local practices and other partner agencies. All such information from any
source is to be regarded as strictly confidential
Information relating to
patients, carers, colleagues, other healthcare workers or the business of any
partner agency or member practice, may only be divulged to authorised persons
in accordance with the established protocols, policies and procedures relating
to confidentiality and the protection of personal and sensitive data.
Health & Safety
The post-holder will assist in promoting and
maintaining their own and others health, safety and security as defined in the relevant
Health & Safety Policy, to include:
Using personal security
systems within the workplace according to practice guidelines.
Equality and Diversity
The post-holder will support the equality,
diversity and rights of patients, carers, and colleagues, to include:
Acting in a way that
recognises the importance of peoples rights, interpreting them in a way that
is consistent with established procedures and policies, and current legislation
and that of any practices you may be working in
Respecting the privacy,
dignity, needs and beliefs of patients, carers, and colleagues
Behaving in a manner
which is welcoming to and of the individual, is non-judgmental and respects
their circumstances, feelings priorities and rights.
Personal/Professional Development
The post-holder will participate in any
learning programme implemented by as part of
this employment, such training to include:
Participation in an
annual individual performance review, including taking responsibility for
maintaining a record of own personal and/or professional development
Taking responsibility
for own development, learning and performance and demonstrating skills and
activities to others who are undertaking similar work.
Quality
The post-holder will strive to maintain
quality, and will:
Alert other team
members to issues of quality and risk
Assess own performance
and take accountability for own actions, either directly or under supervision
Contribute to the
effectiveness of the team by reflecting on own and team activities and making suggestions
on ways to improve and enhance the teams performance
Work effectively with
individuals in other agencies to meet patients needs
Effectively manage own
time, workload, and resources.
Communication
The post-holder should recognise the importance
of effective communication within the team and will strive to:
Communicate effectively
with other team members
Communicate effectively
with patients and carers
Recognise peoples
needs for alternative methods of communication and respond accordingly.
Contribution to the Implementation of Services
The post-holder will:
Apply established
policies, standards, and guidance and those of general practice where
appropriate
Discuss with other
members of the team how the policies, standards and guidelines will affect own
work
Participate in audit
where appropriate.
Special
Working Conditions
The post-holder is
required to have their own car to travel between practice sites (where
applicable) and to attend meetings or other relevant work-related activities,
e.g., meetings hosted by other agencies
The post-holder will be
expected to support the work of the PCN, and its constituent practices as
required.
Any other
delegated duties considered appropriate to the post
This job description covers the main duties
that the post holder will be expected to undertake. These duties may be revised
from time-to-time following consultation with the post holder.