Job summary
The Wickford PCN have an exciting opportunity to work with a diverse and friendly team in the Wickford, Essex area as a social prescriber.
SPLWs are dedicated to providing personalised care.
SPLWs are important members of a PCNs multidisciplinary team and wider multi-agency integrated teams. They work in
partnership with other personalised care roles and health and care professionals to optimise health outcomes for people
and populations, and reduce health inequalities. Social Prescribing has given patients a new way to access holistic and beneficial care that doesn't only include their physical and mental health. Social Prescribers will support patients with non- medical queries that have a direct impact on their health and wellbeing. Oftenpatients go their GP for support with:
- benefits,
- housing,
- employment,
- social isolation these are not medical things but they are important things that impact a persons health and wellbeing. Our SPLWs work with GP practices and support patients with these social queries.
Does this sound like a rewarding role to you?
Main duties of the job
Purpose of the role
Social
prescribing empowers people to take control of their health and wellbeing
through referral to non-clinical social prescribing link workers.
They give
people time to focus on what matters to me and take a holistic approach to
an individuals health and wellbeing.
Social
prescribing link workers:
Take a whole population approach, working with a
range of people who may benefit from social prescribing, including people who
are lonely, have complex social needs, low level mental health needs and
long-term conditions
Help people to identify issues that affect their
health & wellbeing, and co-produce a simple personalised care and support
plan
Support people by connecting them to non-medical,
community-based activities, groups and services that meet their practical,
social and emotional needs, including specialist advice services and arts and
culture, physical activity, and nature and green based activities
Use coaching and motivational interviewing
techniques to support people to take control of their own health and
wellbeing
Support development of accessible and sustainable
community offers by working in partnership with VCSE organisations, local
authorities and others to identify gaps in provision, and take a community
development approach to enabling growth in community activities and groups.
About us
Wickford PCN is made up of 3 practices that work collaboratively to offer various services to the patients in our locality. We strive to improve and build on our current services as well as develop and create new, beneficial ways of working.
We provide clinical services to over 36,000 patients and form part of the Basildon and Brentwood Alliance/ ICB. It is our aim to provide excellent, personalised care to the community of Wickford.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Key responsibilities
1. Take 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).
2. Provide personalised support to individuals, their families and carers 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
me. Take a holistic approach, based on the persons priorities and the wider
determinants of health. Co-produce a personalised support plan to improve health
and wellbeing, introducing or reconnecting people to community groups and statutory
services. The role will require managing and prioritising your own caseload, in
accordance with the needs, priorities and any urgent support required by individuals.on the caseload. It is vital that you have a strong awareness and understanding of
when it is appropriate or necessary to refer people back to other health
professionals/agencies, when what the person needs is beyond the scope of the link
worker role e.g. when there is a mental health need requiring a qualified
practitioner.
3. Draw on and increase the strengths and capacities of local communities, enabling
local VCSE organisations and community groups to receive social prescribing
referrals. Ensure they are supported, 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.
4. 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.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Key responsibilities
1. Take 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).
2. Provide personalised support to individuals, their families and carers 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
me. Take a holistic approach, based on the persons priorities and the wider
determinants of health. Co-produce a personalised support plan to improve health
and wellbeing, introducing or reconnecting people to community groups and statutory
services. The role will require managing and prioritising your own caseload, in
accordance with the needs, priorities and any urgent support required by individuals.on the caseload. It is vital that you have a strong awareness and understanding of
when it is appropriate or necessary to refer people back to other health
professionals/agencies, when what the person needs is beyond the scope of the link
worker role e.g. when there is a mental health need requiring a qualified
practitioner.
3. Draw on and increase the strengths and capacities of local communities, enabling
local VCSE organisations and community groups to receive social prescribing
referrals. Ensure they are supported, 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.
4. 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.
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 working with the VCSE sector (in a paid or
- unpaid capacity), including with volunteers and small
- community groups
- Experience of partnership/collaborative working and of building
- relationships across a variety of organisations
Desirable
- Knowledge of the personalised care approach
- Experience of data collection and providing monitoring
- information to assess the impact of services
- Experience of supporting people with their mental health, either
- in a paid, unpaid or informal capacity
Qualifications
Essential
- NVQ Level 3, Advanced level or equivalent qualifications or
- working towards
- Demonstrable commitment to professional and personal
- development
Desirable
- Training in motivational coaching and interviewing or
- equivalent experience
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 working with the VCSE sector (in a paid or
- unpaid capacity), including with volunteers and small
- community groups
- Experience of partnership/collaborative working and of building
- relationships across a variety of organisations
Desirable
- Knowledge of the personalised care approach
- Experience of data collection and providing monitoring
- information to assess the impact of services
- Experience of supporting people with their mental health, either
- in a paid, unpaid or informal capacity
Qualifications
Essential
- NVQ Level 3, Advanced level or equivalent qualifications or
- working towards
- Demonstrable commitment to professional and personal
- development
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.