Social Prescribing Link Worker

Job description

Job responsibilities

Key Duties & Responsibilities

Provide personalised support to individuals, their families and carers to take control of their wellbeing, live independently and improve their health outcomes.

Develop trusting relationships by giving people time and focus on what matters to me. Take a holistic approach, based on the persons priorities and the wider determinants of health. Co-produce a personalised support plan to improve health and wellbeing, introducing or reconnecting people to community group and statutory services.

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 other health professionals/agencies, when what the person needs is beyond the scope of the link worker role e.g. when there is a mental health need requiring a qualified practitioner.

Referrals

1. Promoting social prescribing, its role in self-management, and the wider determinants of health.

2. Build relationships with key staff in within the practice, attending relevant meetings, becoming part of the wider network team, giving information and feedback on social prescribing.

3. Be proactive in developing strong links with all local agencies to encourage referrals, recognising what they need to be confident in the service to make appropriate referrals.

4. Work in partnership with all local agencies to raise awareness of social prescribing and how partnership working can reduce pressure on statutory services, improve health outcomes and enable a holistic approach to care.

5. Provide colleagues with regular updates about social prescribing, including training staff and providing information on how to access information to encourage appropriate referrals.

6. Seek regular feedback about the quality of service and impact of social prescribing.

Provide personalised support

1. Meet people on a one-to-one basis, making home visits where appropriate within organisations policies and procedures. Give people time to tell their stories and focus on what matters to me. Build trust with the person, providing non- judgemental support, respecting diversity and lifestyle choices. Work from a strength-based approach focusing on a persons assets.

2. Be a friendly source of information about wellbeing and prevention approaches.

3. Help people identify the wider issues that impact on their health and wellbeing, such as debt, poor housing, being unemployed, loneliness and caring responsibilities.

4. Proactively identify vulnerable and at risk patients who may benefit from personalised support.

5. Work with the person, their families and carers and consider how they can all be supported through social prescribing.

6. Help people maintain or regain independence through living skills, adaptations, enablement approaches and simple safeguards.

7. 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.

8. 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.

9. 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.

10. Forge strong links with local VCSE organisations, community and neighbourhood level groups, utilising their networks and building on whats already available to create a map or menu of community groups and assets.

11. Develop supportive relationships with local VCSE organisations, community groups and statutory services, to make timely, appropriate and supported referrals for the person being introduced.

12. Ensure that local community groups and VCSE organisations being referred to have basic procedures in place for ensuring that vulnerable individuals are safe and, where there are safeguarding concerns, work with all partners to deal appropriately with issues. Where such policies and procedures are not in place, support groups to work towards this standard before referrals are made to them.

13. Check that community groups and VCSE organisations meet in insured premises and that health and safety requirements are in place. Where such policies and procedures are not in place, support groups to work towards this standard before referrals are made to them.

14. Support local groups to act in accordance with information governance policies and procedures, ensuring compliance with the Data Protection Act.

15. Work with commissioners and local partners to identify unmet needs within the community and gaps in community provision.

Person Specification

Experience

Essential

• Experience of supporting people, their families and carers in a related role (including unpaid work)
• 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 partnership/collaborative working and of building relationships across a variety of organisations

Desirable

• Experience of working with the VCSE sector (in a paid or unpaid capacity), including with volunteers and small community groups
• Experience of data collection and providing monitoring information to assess the impact of services
• Experience of supporting people with their mental health, either in a paid, unpaid or informal capacity

Qualifications

Essential

• NVQ Level 3, Advanced level or equivalent qualifications or working towards this level.
• Demonstrable commitment to professional and personal development.

Desirable

• Training in motivational coaching and interviewing or equivalent experience

Skills & Attributes

Essential

• Ability to 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
• Commitment to reducing health inequalities and proactively working to reach people from all communities
• 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
• Have a strong awareness and understanding of when it is appropriate or necessary to refer people back to other health professionals/agencies, when what the person needs is beyond the scope of the link worker role
• Ability to maintain effective working relationships and to promote collaborative practice with all colleagues
• Commitment to collaborative working with all local agencies
• Demonstrates personal accountability, emotional resilience and works well under pressure
• Ability to organise, plan and prioritise on own initiative, including when under pressure and meeting deadlines
• High level of written and oral communication skills
• Ability to work flexibly and enthusiastically within a team or on own initiative
• Knowledge of and ability to work to policies and procedures, including confidentiality, safeguarding, lone working, information governance, and health & safety

Desirable

• Understanding of the needs of small volunteer-led community groups and ability to support their development

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

Tanfield View Medical Group

Address

2 Scott Street

Stanley

County Durham

DH9 8AD

Employer's website

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