Social Prescribing Link Worker

Job summary

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Social Prescribing Link Worker who is passionate about empowering people to take control of their health to join our existing developing team within our PCN, we provide high quality support to our patients and are looking for an enthusiastic, empathetic individual to join the team.

We are looking for someone to be proactive in getting to know & support our local community assets and should be motivated by helping people to become active and independent members of their local community.

Have experience of working positively with people facing complex social and emotional challenges, and knowledge of solution-focussed coaching approaches. The successful candidate will be working with people from diverse cultural and social backgrounds & will need to work confidently & effectively in a diverse, and sometimes challenging environment.

Social prescribing empowers people to take control of their health & wellbeing through referral to link workers who give time, focus on what matters to me & 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 & sustainable & help people to start new community groups, working collaboratively with all local partners. Social prescribing link workers (SPLW) will work as a key part of the primary care network (PCN) multi-disciplinary team.

Main duties of the job

To work with the other PCN Social Prescriber, to promote and develop the service.

To manage a caseload of patients maintaining accurate records of each contact & share information appropriately.

To undertake patient assessments as deemed appropriate.

To make referrals or signpost to statutory and voluntary services - following up as appropriate.

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

Build relationships with key staff in GP practices within the local Primary Care Network (PCN), attending relevant meetings, becoming part of the wider network team, providing reports including monitoring and evaluation including general feedback on social prescribing.

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.

Provide personalised support & work with patients to help them better understand their health & wellbeing.

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

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

There may also be an element of undertaking some physical health monitoring with our patients.

About us

Newton and Haydock Primary Care Network consists of 4 NHS GP practices in Newton-le-Willows and Haydock, Merseyside across several sites. The Network enables NHS staff to work across the practices to help deliver services to 50,000 patients.

The Practices

Haydock Medical Centre

Patterdale Lodge

Newton Practice

Vista Road Surgery

Network Teams

Frailty Team

Clinical Pharmacists

First Contact Physiotherapists

Social Prescribing

Mental Health