Social Prescriber link worker

Job description

Job responsibilities

Key Tasks

Referrals

Promote social prescribing as an approach across the PCN by attending relevant MDT meetings to build relationships and developing links with local agencies

Proactively develop strong links with local agencies to encourage appropriate referrals

Provide referral agencies with regular updates about social prescribing, including training for their staff and how to access information to encourage appropriate referrals.

Seek regular feedback about the quality of service and impact of social prescribing on referral agencies.

Proactively encourage equitable participation in social prescribing through taking self-referrals and connecting with diverse local communities through a range of methods, particularly communities that statutory agencies may find hard to reach and where health inequalities are most prevalent.

Provide personalised support

Meet people on a one-to-one basis, 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 over 3 months.

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 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

Where people may be eligible for a personal health budget, help 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.

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

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 such as the ONS4 wellbeing scale 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 (as outlined in the Network Contract DES)

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.

Miscellaneous

Work as part of the MDT to seek feedback, continually improve the service, and contribute to service planning.

Contribute to the development of policies and plans relating to equality, diversity and inclusion, accessibility, and health inequalities.

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.

Person Specification

Experience

Essential

• 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 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 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
• 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

Qualifications

Essential

• NVQ Level 3, Advanced level or equivalent qualifications or working towards
• . Demonstrable commitment to professional and personal development
• 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
• .Commitment to collaborative working with all local agencies (including VCSE organisations and community groups)
• . Able to work with others to reduce hierarchies and find creative solutions to community issues
• . Can demonstrate personal accountability, emotional resilience and ability to work well under pressure

Desirable

• Training in motivational coaching and interviewing or equivalent experience

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.

Employer details

Employer name

Fernley Medical Centre

Address

Fernley Medical Centre

560 Stratford Road

Sparkhill

Birmingham

B11 4AN

Employer's website

https://fernleymedicalcentre.nhs.uk (Opens in a new tab)