Mental Health Link Worker

Job description

Job responsibilities

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 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. Link workers also support existing groups to be accessible and sustainable and help people to start new community groups, working collaboratively with all local partners. Social prescribing can help PCNs to strengthen community and personal resilience and reduces health and wellbeing inequalities by addressing the wider determinants of health, such as debt, poor housing and physical inactivity, by increasing peoples active involvement with their local communities. It particularly works for people with long term conditions (including support for mental health), people who are lonely or isolated, or have complex social needs which affect their wellbeing.

The Mental Health Link Worker will support patients around their mental wellbeing and low-level mental health, still working with the whole person to develop a practical and emotional support network.

The post holder will liaise with a variety of partners, community and voluntary organisations across the geographical patch and the wider program. Excellent communication skills and local knowledge are essential in order to engage and work with members of the public. Willingness to undertake mandatory and role specific training within a specified timescale will also be essential.

The Mental Health Link Worker will also be enrolled as a member of the National Association of Link Workers and attend conference etc. to ensure sharing of best practice. https://www.connectlink.org

The main role of the Mental Health Link Worker will be to work within the GP surgery, and Primary Care Network (PCN) to support strengthening community and personal resilience and reducing health and wellbeing inequalities by addressing the wider determinants of health, particularly those impacting mental health / wellbeing, such as debt, poor housing and physical inactivity, by increasing peoples active involvement with their local communities. The post holder will particularly work with people with poor mental wellbeing and low-level mental health issues.

To encourage and facilitate the development and delivery of personalised care support plans with individuals particularly around poor mental wellbeing and low-level mental health issues.

To apply asset-based community development, engagement and consultation techniques as appropriate to engage the target groups/individuals.

To develop new services / activities for the community based on identified need particularly around poor mental wellbeing and low-level mental health issues.

Provide short-term interventions such as CBT, and solution-focused techniques.

To ensure appropriate information and resources are available for staff and members of the public, in order for individuals to make the correct choices to aid them with changes to their behaviour that have a positive impact on their health.

Main Duties and Responsibilities.

1)To work with partners and existing groups to develop the referral pathways for support. Draw on and increase the strengths and capacities of local communities, enabling local Voluntary Community and Social Enterprise organisations (VCSE) and community groups to receive social prescribing referrals.

2) To work with individual clients, particularly around poor mental wellbeing and low level mental health issues, on 1:1 basis to build trusting relationships to ensure they are accessing the right support, at the right time, in the right place, receiving referrals from a wide range of agencies, including PCNs GP practices: pharmacies, wider multi-disciplinary teams, VCSE organisations (list is not exhaustive).

3) Provide personalised support to individuals, their families and carers to take control of their mental health and wellbeing, live independently and improve their health outcomes, as a key member of the PCN multi-disciplinary team. Develop trusting relationships by giving people time and focus on what matters to me. Possess genuine listening skills and provide short-term interventions such as CBT, and solution-focused techniques.

4) To manage and prioritise your own caseload, in accordance with the needs, priorities and any urgent support required by individuals on the caseload.

5) Alongside other members of the PCN multi-disciplinary team, work collaboratively with all local partners to contribute towards supporting the local VCSE organisations and community groups to become sustainable and that community assets are nurtured, through sharing intelligence regarding any gaps or problems identified in local provision with commissioners and local authorities.

(list is not exhaustive)

See supporting file - Job Description and Person Sepcification for full details

Person Specification

Special Requirements

Essential

• Access to own transport and ability to travel independently across the locality on regular basis, including visiting people in their own homes.
• Meets DBS reference standards and criminal record checks.
• Team player.
• Sympathetic, pleasant manner with the ability to negotiate changes with a wide range of people and at all levels whilst actively promoting the 5 ways to wellbeing.

Values and Behaviours

Essential

• Patient Focused: Understands how their role impacts on the patient journey, and a willingness to place the patient at the centre of what they do.
• Achieving Results: Experience of successfully working to deadlines and completing tasks.
• Inspirational Leadership: Keen to develop themselves and others, open to new ideas and willing to share their experience with others.
• Maximising Value: Takes ownership of problems and does not overly complicate matters or involve colleagues unnecessarily.
• Working Together: Approachable and able to build relationships with a wide variety of colleagues
• Equality and Diversity can demonstrate a positive and non-judgmental attitude towards difference in terms of service delivery and working practice
• 6 Cs of Care is able to show knowledge and understanding of promoting care, compassion, competence, communication, courage and commitment within their role

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)
• Experience of supporting people with their mental health, either in a paid, unpaid or informal capacity.
• 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.

Qualifications

Essential

• Relevant level 3 qualification in mental health / wellbeing or related area. e.g. NVQ3 / Foundation degree / Higher National Diploma or equivalent.
• Good overall topic based training covering a range of health and wellbeing disciplines.

Desirable

• RSPH Level 2 Understanding Health Improvement.
• Training in motivational interviewing or equivalent experience
• Level 2 health and wellbeing Awareness qualification
• Social Prescribing Link Worker Qualification

Special Skills & Knowledge

Essential

• Knowledge of the personalised care approach
• Understanding of the wider determinants of health, including social, economic and environmental factors and their impact on communities, individuals, their families and carers.
• Knowledge of community development approaches
• Knowledge of IT systems, including ability to use word processing skills, emails and the internet to create simple plans and reports.
• An understanding of health inequalities and the impact on health.
• Knowledge of health and lifestyle issues relating 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.
• Skills to listen, influence, negotiate and motivate individuals in relation to health related behaviours.
• Ability to handle sensitive data with confidentiality.
• Excellent communication, interpersonal and listening skills.
• Ability to demonstrate effective collaborative supportive management style.
• Ability to act upon own initiative, respond to changing situations.
• Good organisational and time management skills.

Desirable

• An awareness of behavior change models.
• Ability to collate information and prepare reports.
• Experience of multi sector working.
• Local knowledge of how the NHS works, including primary care.

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

Holmside Medical Group

Address

142 Armstrong Road

Benwell

Newcastle upon Tyne

NE4 8QB

Employer's website

https://www.holmsidemedicalgroup.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)