Job summary
Please note, to apply for this job you must download, complete and submit our application form (see below). We are not accepting CV's or applications via NHS.jobs.
Ways
to Wellness is recruiting for a new Link Worker, to join our Long-Term
Conditions Service.
Working
with clients in Newcastle based GP surgeries, this is a great opportunity for
experienced Link Workers or anyone starting out in social prescribing and
wanting to develop their skills and experience as a Link Worker, within a
proven, successful project.
Candidates
should be professional, understanding, and possess excellent communication,
interpersonal and listening skills. In return, Ways to Wellness will offer you
excellent employee benefits, such as 30 days annual leave plus bank holidays,
5% employers pension contribution, a wellbeing cash plan after 6 months
service, and progression opportunities when available. The salary for this post
is £24,150-£25,200, depending on experience.
Ways
to Wellness is a vibrant and growing team with a friendly and supportive
culture.
We are
advertising as 1 full time role (37 hours per week), but flexible, part time
and job-share working will also be considered.
Download
the Candidate Pack to see the full job description, person specification and
terms (from www.waystowellness.org.uk). If you would like to apply, download the Application Form, complete and
submit it via info@waystowellness.org.uk,
by 9am on Monday 18th November 2024.
Main duties of the job
Social prescribing empowers
people to take control of their health and wellbeing.
Link workers provide non-medical support that focuses
on what matters
to me and take a holistic approach to an individuals
health and wellbeing, connecting people to community groups and statutory services for practical and
emotional support.
We are looking for an enthusiastic
and motivated link worker to join our team supporting people ages 18-74 across Newcastle to
manage their long-term conditions. Providing personalised, practical
support to individuals will enable them to make decisions that will improve
their health and wellbeing outcomes.
The project provides an essential link between
the health and social care needs of patients, and community assets that can
improve their wellbeing. Support is designed to be flexible, to
provide continuity and encourage healthy behaviour change.
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 health care professionals, when the persons
needs are beyond the scope of the link worker role.
About us
Ways to Wellness delivers social prescribing at scale for people with long- term
health conditions living in Newcastle upon Tyne, along with a variety of other pilot and prototype projects. We are proud of the impact of our work, both in terms of improved patient wellbeing and reduced hospital
costs. You can read more about our projects and achievements on our website: www.waystowellness.org.uk.
We are ambitious
to innovate, and to make a difference to the lives and wellbeing of people across the region.
Ways to Wellness is a charity and company limited by guarantee. We currently have 23 staff, working across 5 project areas. We were established in 2015.
We are a small, friendly, supportive and committed team. We value our
staff, so provide excellent terms and conditions, including enhanced annual
leave packages, a wellbeing cash plan, good employer contributions, plus
flexibility and career progression opportunities where we can.
In a recent
staff survey 100% of staff agreed/strongly agreed that they are supported,
recognised and have the resources they need to do their work well.
Team
morale is consistently high. This is a direct result of the encouragement,
freedom, trust, flexibility and support we are given to work and thrive.
Everyone treats each other with kindness and respect, even with the team
growing in size it feels like we are a much smaller, more intimate team. [WtW
employee, December 2023]
Job description
Job responsibilities
Main Duties
Work as part of a
multi-disciplinary team to develop person-centred, community based
personalised care and support plans for clients. Help people identify wider
issues that impact on their health wellbeing
such as loneliness, self-care, low income, housing and caring responsibilities,
and link them to appropriate services and support.
Promote social
prescribing, its role in self-management, and the wider
determinants of health.
Work unsupervised in a manner that promotes
excellent care and experience, while recognising professional and organisational requirements and boundaries.
Be
professional with people, colleagues, volunteers and professionals at all times.
Have
an understanding of the evidence base around self-management support and
person-centered care.
Adopt our quality improvement methodology and seek to continuously improve our systems
for the value of our clients.
Provide personalised support
Act as an advocate
for the patient,
guiding them through
the complex journey
with a multi-faceted approach that results in appropriate use of
scheduled and unscheduled care services.
Deliver support
face to face, over the phone or online at a location
agreed with the patient including home visits where
appropriate.
Be
familiar and up-to date with the wider offer
from local or national health, social care and voluntary sector
organisations, as relevant to people.
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.
Seek advice
and support from clinical staff to discuss
patient-related concerns (e.g. safeguarding, medical or
medication-related queries, complex mental health issues), referring the
patient back to a suitable health professional if required.
Support community groups and the wider team
Develop
robust and active relationships with
care teams in primary care and connect well with other partners.
Encourage
patients, their families and carers, who have been connected to community support
through social prescribing, to volunteer and give their time freely to others, providing peer support,
building their skills and confidence, and strengthening community resilience.
Where
appropriate, ensure strong links with other Link Workers in the area.
Demonstrate effective, professional and respectful communication within the team
and organisation.
Data
capture and clinical governance
Ensure
accurate reporting and data collection, where appropriate. Encourage
individuals, families and carers to
provide feedback and to share their stories about the impact of social prescribing
on their lives.
Ensure
regular review of risks and issues that could impact on individual care and
wider service delivery.
Provide
appropriate feedback to clinicians about the people they referred, where
required.
Follow
agreed and set processes to record data and demonstrate clear outcomes and
impact in line with funding requirements.
Adhere
to GDPR and Data Protection requirements at all times.
Professional
development
Work
with your line manager to undertake continual personal and professional
development, taking an active part in reviewing and developing the roles and
responsibilities.
Undertake
relevant training as required within an agreed time scale.
Engage
in developing professional relationships with the wider team.
This list is not intended as an
exhaustive list of duties and responsibilities. The post holder may be asked to carry out other duties which are
appropriate to the skills of the post holder and
grade of the post as the priorities of the service change.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Main Duties
Work as part of a
multi-disciplinary team to develop person-centred, community based
personalised care and support plans for clients. Help people identify wider
issues that impact on their health wellbeing
such as loneliness, self-care, low income, housing and caring responsibilities,
and link them to appropriate services and support.
Promote social
prescribing, its role in self-management, and the wider
determinants of health.
Work unsupervised in a manner that promotes
excellent care and experience, while recognising professional and organisational requirements and boundaries.
Be
professional with people, colleagues, volunteers and professionals at all times.
Have
an understanding of the evidence base around self-management support and
person-centered care.
Adopt our quality improvement methodology and seek to continuously improve our systems
for the value of our clients.
Provide personalised support
Act as an advocate
for the patient,
guiding them through
the complex journey
with a multi-faceted approach that results in appropriate use of
scheduled and unscheduled care services.
Deliver support
face to face, over the phone or online at a location
agreed with the patient including home visits where
appropriate.
Be
familiar and up-to date with the wider offer
from local or national health, social care and voluntary sector
organisations, as relevant to people.
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.
Seek advice
and support from clinical staff to discuss
patient-related concerns (e.g. safeguarding, medical or
medication-related queries, complex mental health issues), referring the
patient back to a suitable health professional if required.
Support community groups and the wider team
Develop
robust and active relationships with
care teams in primary care and connect well with other partners.
Encourage
patients, their families and carers, who have been connected to community support
through social prescribing, to volunteer and give their time freely to others, providing peer support,
building their skills and confidence, and strengthening community resilience.
Where
appropriate, ensure strong links with other Link Workers in the area.
Demonstrate effective, professional and respectful communication within the team
and organisation.
Data
capture and clinical governance
Ensure
accurate reporting and data collection, where appropriate. Encourage
individuals, families and carers to
provide feedback and to share their stories about the impact of social prescribing
on their lives.
Ensure
regular review of risks and issues that could impact on individual care and
wider service delivery.
Provide
appropriate feedback to clinicians about the people they referred, where
required.
Follow
agreed and set processes to record data and demonstrate clear outcomes and
impact in line with funding requirements.
Adhere
to GDPR and Data Protection requirements at all times.
Professional
development
Work
with your line manager to undertake continual personal and professional
development, taking an active part in reviewing and developing the roles and
responsibilities.
Undertake
relevant training as required within an agreed time scale.
Engage
in developing professional relationships with the wider team.
This list is not intended as an
exhaustive list of duties and responsibilities. The post holder may be asked to carry out other duties which are
appropriate to the skills of the post holder and
grade of the post as the priorities of the service change.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Desirable
- Relevant qualification/training, e.g. social prescribing link work/motivational coaching and interviewing/personalised care or equivalent experience.
- Training in Information, Advice and Guidance.
- Full driving licence and own transport.
Skills and Attributes
Essential
- Excellent communication, interpersonal and listening skills.
- Skills to listen, influence, negotiate and motivate individuals in relation to health related behaviours.
- Understanding of how to deliver high quality, personalised support to individuals, their families and their carers in a way that develops trust and helps them to focus on what matters to me. Strong awareness and understanding of when it is appropriate/necessary to refer people back to other health professionals/agencies.
- Understanding of the wider determinants of health, including social, economic and environmental factors and their impact on communities.
- Awareness of the personalised care approach.
- Knowledge of IT systems, including Office, Outlook and the internet.
- Awareness of health and lifestyle issues relating to mental wellbeing and mental health (gained through practical experience and/or a health related qualification).
- Sound understanding of the challenges faced by those with poor health literacy and the ability to support individuals to develop appropriate skills.
- Adaptable and flexible approach an interest in/willingness to share learning with other Ways to Wellness projects and team members, as well as external partners.
- Ability to handle sensitive data with confidentiality.
- Ability to act upon own initiative, respond to changing situations.
- Good organisational and time management skills.
Experience
Essential
- Proven track record of engagement with people on to one basis and/or in groups.
- Demonstrable excellent knowledge of the local community, particularly resources aimed at people living with long term conditions.
Desirable
- Experience of working in link worker role or similar.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Desirable
- Relevant qualification/training, e.g. social prescribing link work/motivational coaching and interviewing/personalised care or equivalent experience.
- Training in Information, Advice and Guidance.
- Full driving licence and own transport.
Skills and Attributes
Essential
- Excellent communication, interpersonal and listening skills.
- Skills to listen, influence, negotiate and motivate individuals in relation to health related behaviours.
- Understanding of how to deliver high quality, personalised support to individuals, their families and their carers in a way that develops trust and helps them to focus on what matters to me. Strong awareness and understanding of when it is appropriate/necessary to refer people back to other health professionals/agencies.
- Understanding of the wider determinants of health, including social, economic and environmental factors and their impact on communities.
- Awareness of the personalised care approach.
- Knowledge of IT systems, including Office, Outlook and the internet.
- Awareness of health and lifestyle issues relating to mental wellbeing and mental health (gained through practical experience and/or a health related qualification).
- Sound understanding of the challenges faced by those with poor health literacy and the ability to support individuals to develop appropriate skills.
- Adaptable and flexible approach an interest in/willingness to share learning with other Ways to Wellness projects and team members, as well as external partners.
- Ability to handle sensitive data with confidentiality.
- Ability to act upon own initiative, respond to changing situations.
- Good organisational and time management skills.
Experience
Essential
- Proven track record of engagement with people on to one basis and/or in groups.
- Demonstrable excellent knowledge of the local community, particularly resources aimed at people living with long term conditions.
Desirable
- Experience of working in link worker role or similar.
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.
