Social Prescribing Link Worker

Job responsibilities

Meet people on a one-to-one basis in practice, making home visits and visits to community organisation where appropriate and within organisations policies and procedures.

Use appropriate judgement to ascertain the number and length of sessions required, responding to the needs of the individual and their circumstances, for approximately 6-12 contacts, outlining clear boundaries to patients and managing expectation.

Give people time to tell their stories and focus on the question, what matters to me?

Build trust and respect with the person, providing non-judgemental and non-discriminatory support, taking a strength-based approach that focuses on a persons assets.

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

Help people identify the wider issues that impact on their health and wellbeing, such as debt, poor housing, being unemployed, loneliness and caring responsibilities.

Work with individuals to co-produce a simple personalised support plan to address the persons health and wellbeing needs based on the persons priorities, interests, values, cultural and religious/faith needs and motivations

Provide information on what people can gain from the groups, activities and services they are being connected to

Provide information on what the person can do for themselves to improve their health and wellbeing

Physically introduce people to appropriate community groups and activities, peer support groups, or statutory services, ensuring they are comfortable, feel valued and respected.

Provide follow up support to the person to ensure they are happy, able to engage, feel included and that they are receiving good support.

Help people maintain or regain independence through living skills, adaptations, enablement approaches and simple safeguards

Seek advice and support from the GP supervisor and/or identified individual(s) to discuss safeguarding concerns and follow PCN safeguarding policies around reporting and/or escalating concerns

Seek advice and support from the GP supervisor and/or identified individual(s) to discuss concerns outside the scope of the social prescribing link workers practice and make appropriate onward referrals

Supporting the community offer

Develop supportive relationships with local VCSE organisations, community groups and statutory services, to understand their offer and make timely, appropriate and supported referrals

Create strong links with local agencies to utilise existing networks and build on existing provision

Work collectively with all local partners to ensure community groups are accessible and sustainable

Support development of community groups and assets who promote diversity and inclusion

Encourage people who have been connected to community support through social prescribing to volunteer or to start their own activities and groups

Support existing local volunteering schemes to strengthen community resilience and explore potential to develop a team of volunteers to provide buddying support, peer support or to start new community-based groups or activities.

Data capture

Support referral agencies to provide appropriate information about the person they are referring, including demographic data and data on wider determinants, for example, caring status.

Provide appropriate and timely feedback to referral agencies about the people they referred.

Work sensitively with people, their families and carers to capture key information to measure impact of social prescribing on their health and wellbeing, using validated tools determined locally to assess need and measure outcomes.

Encourage people, their families and carers to provide feedback on their experience, for example, through patient satisfaction surveys, and to share their stories about the impact of social prescribing on their lives.

Ensure that social prescribing referral SNOMED codes are coded appropriately into clinical systems.

Adhere to PCN policies around data protection legislation and data sharing agreements, ensuring people give appropriate consent.

Continuing professional development

Work with a supervisor and/or line manager to undertake continual personal and professional development in line with the social prescribing Workforce Development Framework Competency Framework

Work with your supervising GP and/or line manager to access regular clinical/non-managerial supervision

Take an active role in reflecting, reviewing and developing professional knowledge, skills and behaviours

Attend appropriate mandatory training before working with people and be aware of own competence, maintaining boundaries around scope of practice and referring onwards for people whose needs fall outside of these boundaries

Adhere to organisational policies and procedures, including confidentiality, safeguarding, lone working, information governance, equality, diversity and inclusion training and health and safety.

Personal Qualities

Essential

• Ability to actively listen, empathise with people and provide person-centred support in a non-judgemental way
• Able to provide a culturally sensitive service, by supporting people from all backgrounds and communities, respecting
• lifestyles and diversity
• Commitment to reducing health inequalities and proactively working to reach people from diverse communities
• Able to support people in a way that inspires trust and confidence, motivating others to reach their potential, adapting to individual levels of activation and health literacy
• Ability to communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing, with people, their families, carers, community groups, partner agencies and stakeholders, adapting communication styles accordingly.
• Meets DBS reference standards and criminal record checks
• Willingness to work flexible hours when required to meet work demands
• Access to transport and ability to travel across the locality on a regular basis, including to visit people in their own homes and support people to attend activities as appropriate.

Experience

Essential

• Experience of supporting people, their families and carers in a related role (including unpaid work)
• Experience of supporting people with their mental health, either
• in a paid, unpaid or informal capacity
• Experience of partnership/collaborative working and of building
• relationships across a variety of organisations
• Ability to maintain effective working relationships and to promote collaborative practice with all colleagues
• Ability to work flexibly and enthusiastically within a team or on own initiative
• Knowledge of, and ability to work to, policies and procedures, including confidentiality, safeguarding, lone working, information governance, and health and safety
• Have awareness and understanding of when it is appropriate or necessary to refer people back to other health professionals/agencies, when the persons needs are beyond the scope of the role for example, when there is a mental health need requiring a qualified practitioner
• Knowledge of the personalised care approach. Utilises the evidence base for social prescribing interventions and activities.
• Understanding of the wider determinants of health, including social, economic and environmental factors and their impact on communities, individuals, their families and carers
• Understanding of, and commitment to, equality, diversity and inclusion.
• Knowledge of IT systems, including ability to use word processing skills, emails and the internet to create simple plans and reports
• Local knowledge of VCSE and community services
• Knowledge of how the NHS works, including primary care and MDT working
• Ability to organise, plan and prioritise on own initiative,
• including when under pressure and meeting deadlines
• High level of written and oral communication skills
• Confidently approaches difficult conversations
• Able to provide motivational coaching to support peoples behaviour change

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)
• Experience of working with the VCSE sector (in a paid or
• unpaid capacity), including with volunteers and small community groups
• Experience of data collection and using tools to measure the impact of services
• Knowledge of community development approaches including asset-based community development and community resilience
• Able to work from an asset-based approach, building on existing community and personal assets
• Understanding of the needs of small volunteer-led community groups and ability to contribute to supporting their development

IT Systems

Essential

• A knowledge of SystmOne would be desirable, although not essential. an understanding of Microsoft packages essential; including Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Outlook and MS Teams

Qualifications

Essential

• NVQ Level 3, Advanced level or equivalent qualifications or working towards
• Demonstrable commitment to professional and personal
• development
• Training in motivational coaching and interviewing or equivalent experience
• Must hold a full UK driving licence and have access to a vehicle for work

Desirable

• Coaching skills
• Empathetic approach
• Knowledge of SystmOne