Job summary
Ealing GP Federation are looking to recruit a Social Prescribing Link Worker on behalf of Northolt Greenford Perivale (NGP) Primary Care Network (PCN)
Social prescribing empowers people to take control of their health and wellbeing through referral to link workers who give time, focus on what matters to them and takes a holistic approach to an individuals health and wellbeing.
Social prescribing enables PCNs to build community and individual resilience while reducing health and wellbeing inequalities. It targets wider health determinants such as debt, inadequate housing, and physical inactivity by promoting active engagement with local communities. It is especially effective for individuals with long-term conditions, including mental health needs, those experiencing loneliness or isolation, and people with complex social factors impacting their wellbeing.
Main duties of the job
Key Responsibilities:
Provide personalised support to individuals, families, and carers to improve health outcomes, promote independence, and support wellbeing as part of the PCN multi-disciplinary team.
Build trusting relationships by focusing on what matters to the person, taking a holistic approach based on individual priorities and wider social determinants of health.
Work collaboratively to create simple personalised care plans, linking people to community groups and statutory services.
Manage and prioritise your own caseload according to individual needs, including urgent support, and recognise when referrals to clinical professionals are requiredparticularly for needs beyond the scope of the link worker role, such as complex mental health issues.
Refer or signpost individuals to relevant services in Ealing and nationally, including voluntary, statutory, and NHS services.
Support the wider team by advising on available local services and access routes, providing verbal or written guidance to both clinical and non-clinical staff.
About us
NGP PCN is a long-established network of eleven GP practices with good inter-practice relationships looking to improve the health and wellbeing outcomes for local people. The Network are looking for an individual to help people lead more fulfilling lives by focusing on what matters to them and working with other organisations to ensure support is in place for the individual.
Job description
Job responsibilities
To provide personalised, non-clinical support to individuals to address wider social determinants of health. Work as part of a Primary Care Network multidisciplinary team, building relationships with patients, practices, and the wider community to improve health outcomes and reduce pressure on statutory services.
Key Responsibilities
Referrals
-
Promote the role of social prescribing and its benefits for self-management and wellbeing.
-
Develop relationships with GP practices and attend MDT meetings to provide advice from a social prescribing perspective.
-
Establish strong links with local agencies to encourage appropriate referrals.
-
Partner with agencies to raise awareness of social prescribings impact and value.
-
Provide updates and training to referral partners to maintain engagement.
-
Gather feedback on service quality and outcomes.
-
Encourage self-referrals and engage underserved communities.
Personalised Support
-
Meet individuals one-to-one, to understand "what matters" to them.
-
Build trust through non-judgmental, respectful, and strength-based approaches.
-
Identify social factors affecting wellbeing such as debt, housing, employment, or loneliness.
-
Support independence through skills, enablement, and simple interventions.
-
Co-produce personalised support plans based on individual priorities and motivations.
-
Where needed, accompany individuals to services or community groups.
-
Follow up to ensure individuals are supported and engaged.
-
Refer back to clinical staff when needed, e.g., for safeguarding or mental health concerns.
-
Assist with GP appointments when required.
Community Support and Partnership Working
-
Build supportive links with VCSE organisations and statutory services to ensure effective referrals.
-
Work with partners to identify and address gaps in community provision.
-
Encourage those supported to volunteer or help create new groups, building local resilience.
-
Promote peer support among individuals and their networks.
Data Capture and Reporting
-
Work with PCN management team to record outcomes and feedback, tracking service impact.
-
Support referring agencies with relevant feedback and appropriate referral information.
-
Ensure referral data is entered into clinical systems, complying with data protection and sharing regulations.
Professional Development
-
Engage in ongoing training and development with supervision from GPs or line managers.
-
Comply with all organisational policies including confidentiality, safeguarding, lone working, and health and safety.
-
Participate in regular supervision and review of responsibilities.
General Duties
-
Contribute to continuous service improvement and business planning.
-
Undertake other relevant tasks within the scope and level of the role.
-
Adapt to role changes as required, maintaining service effectiveness.
Job description
Job responsibilities
To provide personalised, non-clinical support to individuals to address wider social determinants of health. Work as part of a Primary Care Network multidisciplinary team, building relationships with patients, practices, and the wider community to improve health outcomes and reduce pressure on statutory services.
Key Responsibilities
Referrals
-
Promote the role of social prescribing and its benefits for self-management and wellbeing.
-
Develop relationships with GP practices and attend MDT meetings to provide advice from a social prescribing perspective.
-
Establish strong links with local agencies to encourage appropriate referrals.
-
Partner with agencies to raise awareness of social prescribings impact and value.
-
Provide updates and training to referral partners to maintain engagement.
-
Gather feedback on service quality and outcomes.
-
Encourage self-referrals and engage underserved communities.
Personalised Support
-
Meet individuals one-to-one, to understand "what matters" to them.
-
Build trust through non-judgmental, respectful, and strength-based approaches.
-
Identify social factors affecting wellbeing such as debt, housing, employment, or loneliness.
-
Support independence through skills, enablement, and simple interventions.
-
Co-produce personalised support plans based on individual priorities and motivations.
-
Where needed, accompany individuals to services or community groups.
-
Follow up to ensure individuals are supported and engaged.
-
Refer back to clinical staff when needed, e.g., for safeguarding or mental health concerns.
-
Assist with GP appointments when required.
Community Support and Partnership Working
-
Build supportive links with VCSE organisations and statutory services to ensure effective referrals.
-
Work with partners to identify and address gaps in community provision.
-
Encourage those supported to volunteer or help create new groups, building local resilience.
-
Promote peer support among individuals and their networks.
Data Capture and Reporting
-
Work with PCN management team to record outcomes and feedback, tracking service impact.
-
Support referring agencies with relevant feedback and appropriate referral information.
-
Ensure referral data is entered into clinical systems, complying with data protection and sharing regulations.
Professional Development
-
Engage in ongoing training and development with supervision from GPs or line managers.
-
Comply with all organisational policies including confidentiality, safeguarding, lone working, and health and safety.
-
Participate in regular supervision and review of responsibilities.
General Duties
-
Contribute to continuous service improvement and business planning.
-
Undertake other relevant tasks within the scope and level of the role.
-
Adapt to role changes as required, maintaining service effectiveness.
Person Specification
Personal Attributes
Essential
- Ability to actively listen, empathise with people and provide person-centred support in a non-judgemental way.
- Able to get along with people from all backgrounds and communities, respecting lifestyles and diversity.
- Proactively working to reach people from all communities, to reduce health inequalities.
- Able to support people in a way that inspires trust and confidence, motivating others to reach their potential.
- Ability to communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing, with people, their families, carers, community groups, partner agencies and stakeholders.
- Ability to identify risk and assess/manage risk when working with individuals.
- Strong awareness of when referral to other professionals is appropriate, e.g. mental health needs requiring qualified input.
- Able to work from an asset-based approach, building on existing community and personal assets.
- Ability to maintain effective working relationships and promote collaborative practice with colleagues.
- Personal accountability, emotional resilience, and ability to work under pressure.
- Ability to organise, plan and prioritise on own initiative, including under pressure and to deadlines.
- High level of written and oral communication skills.
- Ability to work flexibly and enthusiastically within a team or on own initiative.
Qualifications
Essential
- NVQ Level 3, Advanced level or equivalent qualifications or working towards
- Demonstrable commitment to professional and personal development
- GCSE grade A to C in English and Maths
Desirable
- Training in motivational coaching and interviewing or equivalent experience
Experience
Essential
- Experience working in community development, adult health and social care, learning support or public health/health improvement.
- Experience supporting people, families, and carers in a related role.
- Experience supporting people with mental health, either paid, unpaid or informal.
- Experience in data collection and using tools to measure impact of services.
- Experience of partnership/collaborative working and building relationships across organisations.
Desirable
- Experience working with the VCSE sector, including volunteers and small community groups.
Person Specification
Personal Attributes
Essential
- Ability to actively listen, empathise with people and provide person-centred support in a non-judgemental way.
- Able to get along with people from all backgrounds and communities, respecting lifestyles and diversity.
- Proactively working to reach people from all communities, to reduce health inequalities.
- Able to support people in a way that inspires trust and confidence, motivating others to reach their potential.
- Ability to communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing, with people, their families, carers, community groups, partner agencies and stakeholders.
- Ability to identify risk and assess/manage risk when working with individuals.
- Strong awareness of when referral to other professionals is appropriate, e.g. mental health needs requiring qualified input.
- Able to work from an asset-based approach, building on existing community and personal assets.
- Ability to maintain effective working relationships and promote collaborative practice with colleagues.
- Personal accountability, emotional resilience, and ability to work under pressure.
- Ability to organise, plan and prioritise on own initiative, including under pressure and to deadlines.
- High level of written and oral communication skills.
- Ability to work flexibly and enthusiastically within a team or on own initiative.
Qualifications
Essential
- NVQ Level 3, Advanced level or equivalent qualifications or working towards
- Demonstrable commitment to professional and personal development
- GCSE grade A to C in English and Maths
Desirable
- Training in motivational coaching and interviewing or equivalent experience
Experience
Essential
- Experience working in community development, adult health and social care, learning support or public health/health improvement.
- Experience supporting people, families, and carers in a related role.
- Experience supporting people with mental health, either paid, unpaid or informal.
- Experience in data collection and using tools to measure impact of services.
- Experience of partnership/collaborative working and building relationships across organisations.
Desirable
- Experience working with the VCSE sector, including volunteers and small community groups.
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.
