Social Prescribing Link Worker- Phoenix Health Primary Care Network

Job description

Job responsibilities

Primary Duties and Areas of Responsibility

As a key member of the PCNs team of health professionals, ensure that referrals from the PCNs Core Network Practices and from a wide range of agencies are dealt with appropriately and support is offered for the health and wellbeing of patients.

Constantly assess how far a patients health and wellbeing needs can be met by services and other opportunities available in the community.

Devise and validate the ongoing Directory of Services for patients within the community. Ensure this is accurate and up to date as a constantly evolving point of reference.

Support Social Prescribers within your network to co-produce a simple personalised care and support plan to address the patients health and wellbeing needs by introducing or reconnecting people to community groups and statutory services, including weight management support and signposting where appropriate and it matters to the person.

Evaluate how far the actions in the care and support plan are meeting the patients health and wellbeing needs.

Provide personalised support to patients, their families, and carers to take control of their health and wellbeing, live independently, improve their health outcomes, and maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Develop trusting relationships by giving people time and focus on what matters to them.

Take a holistic approach, based on the patients priorities and the wider determinants of health.

Explore and support access to a personal health budget where appropriate.

manage and prioritise own caseload, in accordance with the health and wellbeing needs of their population.

Where required and as appropriate, refer patients back to other health professionals within the PCN.

Meet people on a one-to-one basis, making home visits where appropriate. 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.

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 responsibilities.

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. Follow up to ensure they are happy, able to engage, included and receiving good support.

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.

Must be able to travel by own car between all Primary Care Network locations and patient's homes.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• NVQ Level 3 Advanced level or equivalent qualifications or working towards

Skills and Knowledge

Essential

• Ability to work with a range of clinical and non-clinical personnel as part of a team
• Ability to work independently and effectively with a high degree of motivation
• Ability to prioritise and work to deadlines
• Ability to define, collate, analyse, and interpret data

Desirable

• Understanding of NHS long term plan and priorities relevant to primary care
• Local knowledge of community healthcare and social care
• Understanding of the current issues facing primary care teams.

Experience

Essential

• Evidence of recent and relevant Continuing Professional Development
• Training in motivational coaching and interviewing or equivalent experience
• Experience of supporting people, their families, and carers in a related role (including unpaid work)
• Experience of setting up services within Primary Care Networks and their local communities.
• 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 working with local VCSE organisations and 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.

Employer details

Employer name

FedBucks Ltd

Address

Unity Health

5 Station Road

Chinnor

Oxfordshire

OX39 4PX

Employer's website

https://www.fedbucks.co.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)