NRPF, Refugee and Migrant Outreach Care Co-ordinator

Job responsibilities

The Role

As a Borough of Sanctuary, the successful operation of refugee resettlement programmes alongside other humanitarian responses to alleviate destitution and homelessness, is of upmost importance to Islington. With 500 Ukrainian refugees welcomed to Islington, 40 Afghan households resettled, two large-scale asylum continency hotels operational in the borough, and ongoing social care responsibilities to people with no recourse to public funds (NRPF), the NRPF Refugee and Migrant Service is making available a Care Coordinator position to work directly with asylum seekers and strengthen our service-wide response to meeting needs.

The Care Co-ordinator will split their time between providing direct health navigation support to individuals living in asylum contingency hotels, as part of the wider multi-disciplinary casework team, providing expert advice to the entire NRPF, Refugee and Migrant service, and developing a strategic approach to reducing health inequalities amongst those supported by the service.

The role will be situated at the Islington Council offices (222 Upper Street) and in the community, with the option to work remotely where possible. The role holder will receive daily management from the NRPF, Refugee and Migrant team and fortnightly supervision from the Asylum Seeker LCS Lead.

The Successful Candidate

We are seeking to appoint an NRPF, Refugee and Migrant Care Co-ordinator to address local health inequalities, understand barriers to accessing services and develop strategies for more effective engagement with underrepresented.NHS experience with refugees would be ideal.

This new post created by Islington Council and the NCL ICB and hosted by Islington GP Federation, will be based within the NRPF, Refugee and Migrant Service, the post holder will:

• Deliver health-related casework support to asylum seekers living in asylum contingency hotels, alongside Islington Councils Asylum Contingency Hotels team.
• Provide expert casework input and advocacy into high risk or complex cases across Afghan Resettlement, Homes for Ukraine and NRPF teams.
• Build trust in the health and social care system for new and established refugee and migrant communities in Islington through engagement and information provision.
• Gather insights into barriers to accessing services and help advocate for action to support the improved wellbeing for asylum seekers, refugees, and people with NRPF.
• Enable effective communication between agencies to maximise existing referral and assessment pathways, whilst identifying where there are gaps in provision.
• Attend events, workshops and meetings within in the community and at the asylum hotels to share learning and contribute to the overall casework response being delivered.

The role requires a highly motivated and enthusiastic individual who is able to work both at a policy and strategic level to advise services and provide hands on casework support to individuals as part of a multi-disciplinary casework team. The post holder will work alongside other NRPF, Refugee and Migrant Caseworkers in a team committed to challenging discrimination, racism and inequality through an inclusive, informed and empowering approach for all residents.

About Islington GP Federation

Islington GP Federation (IGPF) is a growing organisation representing 31 practices; we have established ourselves as a leader in new ways of working, including running Islingtons extended access primary care services (I: HUB) as well as supporting the Islington Primary Care Networks (PCNs). Our current range of services includes the Extended Access Service, I: HUB, Community Ear, Nose, and Throat (ENT), Integrated Community Gynaecology, practice-based pharmacists and a range of practice support mechanisms.

IGPF works very closely with a range of partners including the regional commissioning group, NHS England, Healthy London Partnership, Public Health, local hospitals such as UCLH and the Whittington Health and the London Borough of Islington.

IGPF is the host organisation for the Primary Care Network (PCN) workforce and the Islington Training Hub and has been working for over two years to create training and development programmes that meet the needs of staff working in primary and community care settings. IGPF runs four Islington GP practices, one on a GMS contract, two on APMS contracts and one on a caretaking contract.

Key working relationships

• Asylum seekers, refugees and migrants in Islington who are referred to or supported by the NRPF, Refugee and Migrant Service.
• Health Watch Islington, to help ensure access to health and care services.
• Outreach Health Service (South Islington) - a primary care led service based in the Asylum Seeker hotels providing holistic healthcare assessments to residents.
• C&I Mental Health Trust Talking Therapies Service a fast-track service for residents with immediate metal health care needs

Internal relationships

• The NRPF Refugee and Migrant Service, delivering resettlement services and other humanitarian housing responses in Islington.
• Adult Social Care and Mental Health Services in Islington, responsible for meeting care and support needs of residents.
• The Homes and Neighbourhoods department, meeting the housing needs of people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness.

External relationships

• The Home Office and the Home Offices subcontracted partners responsible for asylum contingency hotels and asylum dispersal accommodation in Islington.
• VCS organisations commissioned by the NRPF, Refugee and Migrant Service to deliver integration and wellbeing support in Islington.
• Islingtons 31 GP practices including links with clinical and non-clinical staff in the 5 primary care networks (PCNs)

Job Responsibilities

Main Responsibilities

The post holder will share information and advice to help people living in asylum contingency hotels to access Health and Social Care services in Islington, this includes helping to facilitate the following:

The direct delivery of health navigation support to people living in asylum accommodation or in accommodation provided by the NRPF, Refugee and Migrant Service.

Assisting people to navigate the health system, effectively prioritising a caseload, and ensuring that residents are receiving the highest level of care.

Informed referrals for Care Act assessments (physical and mental health needs) that enable colleagues to allocate and respond to referrals efficiently.

Effective coordination of occupational therapy and disability support services and services for people with learning difficulties alongside other social care interventions.

Attendance at events and workshops in the community and at the asylum contingency hotel, with complex casework support provided when necessary.

Assist the South Islington PCN Asylum Seeker LCS Healthcare Service in clinical navigation; assist the C&I Talking Therapies service to facilitate and deliver group sessions and workshops on relevant health related themes.

The post holder will work collaboratively with the rest of the NRPF, Refugee and Migrant Service to:

• Assist the NRPF, Refugee and Migrant Service to resolve complex medical cases ensuring secondary care is accessed and risks for individuals monitored and well managed, with health-related group sessions run to improve understanding and engagement.
• Attend team meetings for the Afghan Resettlement, Homes for Ukraine and NRPF teams to provide expertise in health and health service navigation.
• Build working partnerships with schools and CAMHS provision to ensure psychological and emotional support is delivered for children and young people from a migrant and refugee background, including for Special Educational Needs (SEN) children.
• Build working partnerships with NHS organisations and social care services to facilitate health-related casework interventions across the service.
• Engage with the people who have lived experience so that their views help shape service improvement.

Support the increased uptake of vaccinations for people new to Islington and other hard-to-reach groups.

Leadership and Governance

The postholder is accountable to the NRPF, Refugee and Migrant Service and NCL and ICB and will be required to evidence work undertaken to address health inequalities and the outcomes achieved as a result. The post holder has autonomy to use their experience and professional judgement to deliver new and innovative approaches to existing challenges, they will make informed recommendations about how identified issues can best be addressed.

Training and Support

It is expected that the post holder will share learning from the project with partners and will help run training or information sessions as appropriate / required.

Communication

Essential

• - An ability to maintain confidentiality and trust.
• - Able to store information and data safely and securely
• - Clear communicator with excellent verbal, written and presentation skills; capable of constructing and delivering clear ideas and concepts concisely and accurately to a diverse and varied range of audiences consisting of internal and external stakeholders.
• - Ability to prepare and produce concise yet insightful communications for dissemination to senior stakeholders and a broad range of stakeholders as required.
• - Are able to deal with sensitivity in interactions with residents
• - Team worker, empathetic, calm and focused within community and clinical-based settings
• - Strong negotiation skills and partnership development skills and a proven record of influencing communities and NHS staff at all levels
• - Excellent MS office skills, including Outlook, Word, PowerPoint and Excel
• - Ability to meet agreed objectives and work independently

Desirable

• - Ability to speak and/or read majority languages spoken by people currently seeking refuge in the UK

Experience

Essential

• -Experience of working with asylum seekers and refugees or other marginalised groups to address and overcome health inequalities in an NHS setting
• - Experience of working in NHS/Healthcare setting
• -Experience building partnerships and relationships with local authorities, VCS organisations and the NHS to achieve demonstrable service improvements.
• -Experience of community engagement/outreach work within a diverse inner-city area to overcome barriers to integration for migrant groups or to improve access to statutory services.
• -Experience of working in the health and social care sector, able to leverage understanding of roles and responsibilities to achieve the requirements of this role.

Desirable

• -Knowledge and understanding of primary care.
• -Applied knowledge and understanding of entitlement to welfare benefits, housing, education and employment support services.

Values and Behaviour

Essential

• -Commitment to the values and principles of system working agreed across NCL/Islington
• -Ability to actively promote equality, diversity and inclusion within all areas of responsibility
• -Commitment to and focused on quality, promote high standards in all they do.
• -Able to make a connection between their work and the benefit to patients and the public
• -Consistently thinks about how their work can help and support clinicians and frontline staff deliver better outcomes for patients.
• -Values diversity and difference, operates with integrity and openness.
• -Work well with others, is positive and helpful, listens, involves, respects and learns from the contribution of others.
• -Consistently looks to improve what they do, look for successful tried and tested ways of working but also seeks out innovation.
• -Actively develops themselves and supports others to do the same.

Skills and attributes

Essential

• -Ability to make informed decisions that may affect outcomes for communities and patients, particularly around their own health and improving the health inequalities they face.
• -Applying understanding of relevant law and guidance to address inequalities faced by residents and to ensure that people are supported to access services to which they are entitled.
• -An ability to use co-production and community engagement approaches to share learning and gain evidence and understanding to improve services.

Desirable

• -Ability to analyse and interrogate financial reports and statistical data to ensure correct use of tax-payer money and to identify where service improvements can be made.

Qualifications

Essential

• Educated to degree level/or equivalent experience

Effort factors

Essential

• - Concentration when preparing for meetings, training and report writing
• - Emotional Effort-e. g imparting unwelcome news to staff, stakeholders, residents, exposed to difficult/emotional meetings
• - The work is often unpredictable, and the post holder may have to adapt to change in short time frames and be able to deliver revised outcomes
• - Ability to deal in calm and confident manner to diffuse confrontational situations
• - Ability to travel across Islington sites and engage with diverse residents