Job responsibilities
Social prescribing is
a way of engaging patients in primary care with a resource which provides
support within the local community. In addition, it provides GPs with a
non-medical referral option that can align to existing treatments to improve
health and wellbeing.
People want to be able to access information and support in a
setting that is convenient and familiar to them, delivered by people they
trust. The Social Prescribing Link Worker will offer support in a clinic
environment based within general practice as well at various locations within
the community including the patients home.
The role will provide information and support to patients in
addition to becoming the link between the patient, GP, and other service
providers. The role will require managing and prioritising your own caseload,
in accordance with the needs, priorities and any urgent support required by
individuals.
Key responsibilities:
Receiving and actioning referrals from a wide range of agencies,
working with GP practices within primary care networks, pharmacies,
multi-disciplinary teams, hospital discharge teams, allied health
professionals, fire service, police, job centres, social care services, housing
associations, and voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE)
organisations. (List not exhaustive).
Providing personalised support to individuals, their families, and
carers to enable them to take control of their wellbeing, live independently
and improve their health outcomes. Develop trusting relationships by giving
people time and focus on what matters to them. Taking a holistic approach,
based on the persons priorities and the wider determinants of health. To
co-produce a personalised support plan to improve health and wellbeing, to
introduce or reconnect people to community groups and statutory services.
It is vital that the Social Prescribing Link Worker has a strong
awareness and understanding of when it is appropriate or necessary to refer
people back to other health professionals or agencies.
To increase the strengths and capacities of local communities and
enable local VCSE organisations and community groups to receive social
prescribing referrals. Have basic safeguarding processes for vulnerable
individuals and can provide opportunities for the person to develop
friendships, a sense of belonging, and build knowledge, skills and confidence.
Work together with all local partners to collectively ensure that
local VCSE organisations and community groups are sustainable and that
community assets are nurtured, by making them aware of small grants or
micro-commissioning if available, including providing support to set up new
community groups and services, where gaps are identified in local provision.
Service delivery:
Build a robust knowledge of health, social and third sector
provision available within the North Gosforth area.
Promote social prescribing, its role in self-management, and the
wider determinants of health.
Act as an advocate for patients and service users of the health
and social care system.
Build relationships with key staff in GP practices within the
local Primary Care Network (PCN).
Attend relevant meetings and integrate as part of the wider
network team, providing information and feedback on social prescribing matters.
Work proactively to develop strong links with all local agencies
to encourage referrals, to recognise their requirements and enable confident
approach to making referrals.
Work in partnership with all local agencies to raise awareness of
social prescribing and demonstrate how partnership working can reduce pressure
on statutory services, improve health outcomes and enable a holistic approach
to care. Work with staff to promote
effective access to information and encourage appropriate referrals.
Work proactively in encouraging self-referrals and connecting with
all local communities, particularly those communities that statutory agency may
find hard to reach.
The Social Prescribing Link Worker will have the capability of
performing minor clinical skills such as Basic Monitoring and Recording of
Vital Signs, Blood Pressure Monitoring, ECGs on behalf of the PCN and GP
practices. These skills may be carried
out in GP Practice, hub setting or the community.
To support patients on discharge from hospital admission.
Personalised care and support:
Build relationships with patients, their families and carers and
carry out regular telephone consultations and reviews within the GP practice or
community setting.
Meet people on a one-to-one basis, undertaking home visits where
appropriate within organisations policies and procedures. Give people time to
tell their stories and focus on what matters to me.
Build trust with the person, providing non-judgmental support,
respecting diversity, and lifestyle choices. Work from a strength-based
approach focusing on a persons assets.
Anticipate barriers to communication.
Be a friendly source of information about wellbeing and prevention
approaches.
Help people identify the wider issues that impact on their health
and wellbeing, such as debt, poor housing, being unemployed, loneliness and
caring.
Communicate effectively with patients, families and carers
recognising the need for alternative communication methods of communication to
overcome different levels of understanding, cultural background, and preferred
ways of communicating.
Help people maintain or regain independence through living skills,
adaptations, enablement approaches and simple safeguards.
Work with individuals to co-produce a simple personalised support
plan; based on the persons priorities, interests, values, and motivations,
including what they can expect from the groups, activities and services they
are being connected to and what the person can do for themselves to improve
their health and wellbeing.
Where appropriate, physically introduce people to community
groups, activities and statutory services, ensuring they are comfortable.
Provide follow-up to ensure that they are happy, engaged, included, and
receiving good support.
Where people may be eligible for a personal health budget, assist
them to explore this option as a way of providing funded, personalised support
to be independent, including helping people to gain skills for meaningful
employment, where appropriate. Support community groups and VCSE organisations
to receive referrals.
Adhere to organisational policies and procedures, including
confidentiality, safeguarding, lone working, information governance, and health
and safety.
Data capture:
Produce accurate, contemporaneous, and complete records of patient
contact, consistent with legislation, policies and procedures.
Work sensitively and effectively with people, their families, and
carers to capture key information, enabling tracking of the impact of social
prescribing on their health and wellbeing.
Build relationships with patients, their families and carers and
carry out regular telephone consultations and reviews within the GP practice or
community setting.
Encourage people, their families, and carers to provide feedback
and to share their stories about the impact of social prescribing on their
lives.
Support referral agencies to provide appropriate information about
the person they are referring. Use the case management system to track the
persons progress. Provide appropriate feedback to referral agencies about the
people they referred.
Work closely with GP practices within the PCN to ensure that
social prescribing referral codes are inputted to the clinical system and that
the persons use of the NHS can be tracked, adhering to data protection
legislation and data sharing agreements with the clinical commissioning group
(CCG).
Seek regular feedback about the quality of service and impact of
social prescribing on referral agencies.
Understand and apply legal issues that support the identification
of vulnerable and abused children and adults and be aware of statutory
child/vulnerable patients health procedures and local guidance.
Professional
development:
Work with your line manager to undertake continual personal and
professional development, taking an active part in reviewing and developing the
roles and responsibilities.
Work with your line manager to access regular clinical
supervision, to enable you to deal effectively with the difficult issues that
people present.
Miscellaneous:
Work as part of the team to seek feedback, continually improve the
service and contribute to business planning.
Undertake any tasks consistent with the level of the post and the
scope of the role, ensuring that work is delivered in a timely and effective
manner.
Duties may vary from time to time, without changing the general
character of the post or the level of responsibility.
There will be times when you will be lone working, there must
adhere to lone working policies and procedures.
