Are you looking for a role that enables you to support patients to improve their health and wellbeing?
Do you enjoy working as a team, both within an organisation and across the local community to collaborate and deliver services that have a positive impact on health and wellbeing?
Are you someone who is open to sharing ideas and information, coming up with new ways of working and enjoy the challenge of making these new ways of working happen?
If this sounds like you, then we would love to hear from you!
Social prescribing empowers people to take control of their health and wellbeing through referral to non-medical ‘link workers’ who give time, focus on ‘what matters to me’ and take a holistic approach, connecting people to community groups and statutory services for practical and emotional support. Link workers 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 to strengthen community resilience and personal resilience, and reduces health inequalities by addressing the wider determinants of health, such as debt, poor housing and physical inactivity, by increasing people’s active involvement with their local communities. It particularly works for people with long-term conditions (including support for mental health), for people who are lonely or isolated, or have complex social needs which affect their wellbeing.
Social prescribers are integral part of the general practice team. Working closely with GPs, GP practice teams and other health and care professionals across the PCN, as well as part of wider community groups, the PCN’s multidisciplinary teams, the Health & Wellbeing coaches and Care Coordinators to promote and embed a personalised care approach.
Social prescribers work independently as well as part of a team, are forward thinking, caring, dedicated, reliable and person-focused individuals who enjoy working with a wide range of people.
Our vision as a PCN is to work collaboratively to deliver the best outcomes for our patients and staff.
With a PCN population of just over 51,000 patients, we are recruiting for 2 whole time equivalent social prescribers who will focus on Bottisham Medical Practice, East Barnwell Health Centre, York Street Medical Practice, Nuffield Road Medical Centre, Arbury Road Surgery and Cambridge Access Surgery.
We also have 1 part time position available. Interviews will be held throughout August.
Job Description
Primary Responsibilities
- Take referrals from the PCNs’ GP practices and multi-disciplinary teams and through. Self-referral by registered patients.
- As a key member of the PCN multi-disciplinary team, you will provide personalised support to individuals, their families and carers to take control of their health and wellbeing, live independently and improve their health outcomes. You will develop trusting relationships by giving people time and focus on ‘what matters to me’. Take a holistic approach, based on the person’s priorities and the wider determinants of health.
- Co-produce a simple personalised care and support plan to improve health and wellbeing, introducing or reconnecting people to community groups and statutory services.
- Meet people on a one-to-one basis, making home visits where appropriate within organisations’ policies and procedures.
- Managing and prioritising your own caseload, in accordance with the needs, priorities and any urgent support required by individuals. 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’s needs are beyond the scope of the link worker role – e.g. when there is a mental health need requiring a qualified practitioner.
- Working closely with the voluntary and community sector, draw on the strengths and capacities of local communities, enabling local VCSE organisations and community groups to receive social prescribing referrals.
- Represent the PCN and CNC professionally at all times.
- Champion Social Prescribing and support educating non-clinical and clinical staff within their PCN multi-disciplinary teams on what other services are available within the community and how and when patients can access them. This may include verbal or written advice and guidance.
- Build positive relationships that promote a two-way referral process with statutory services, other providers, charities and groups; identify gaps in services for clients
- Be proactive in developing strong links with local agencies to encourage referrals, recognising what they need to be confident in the service to make appropriate referrals.
- Seek advice and support from the GP supervisor and/or identified individual(s) to discuss patient-related concerns (e.g. abuse, domestic violence and support with mental health), referring the patient back to the GP or other suitable health professional if required.
- Work closely within the Multi-Disciplinary Teams and with GP practices within the PCN to ensure that the social prescribing referral codes are inputted into clinical systems (as outlined in the Network Contract DES), adhering to data protection legislation and data sharing agreements.
- Work sensitively with people, their families and carers to capture key information, enabling tracking of the impact of social prescribing on their health and wellbeing.
- Encourage people, their families and carers to provide feedback and to share their stories about the impact of social prescribing on their lives to inform case studies.
- Work with your supervising GP a to undertake continual personal and professional development.
- Work closely with the voluntary and community sector to ensure you keep up to date with any developments within the organisation and the wider local voluntary sector.
- Adhere to organisational policies and procedures within the PCN, including confidentiality, safeguarding, lone working, information governance, and health and safety.
- Work with your supervising GP to access regular ‘clinical supervision’, to enable you to deal effectively with the difficult issues that people present.
- Work as part of the healthcare team to seek feedback, continually improve the service and contribute to business planning.
- Undertake any tasks consistent with the level of the post and the scope of the role, ensuring that work is delivered in a timely and effective manner.
- Duties may vary from time to time, without changing the general character of the post or the level of responsibility.
Key Working Relationships
The post holder will be required to maintain constructive relationships with a broad range of internal and external stakeholders within and beyond the organisation. Key relationships will include:
- GPs and GP practice staff
- Patients and their carers
- Community Specialist Practitioners
- Community Nursing Staff
- Care and Residential Home Staff
- Secondary Care discharge teams
- Integrated Neighbourhood teams & affiliates
Person Specification
Essential criteria:
- 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 – e.g. when there is a mental health need requiring a qualified practitioner
- Able to provide leadership and to finish work tasks
- Ability to maintain effective working relationships and to promote collaborative practice with all colleagues
- Commitment to collaborative working with all local agencies (including VCSE organisations and community groups). Able to work with others to reduce hierarchies and find creative solutions to community issues
- 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 and safety
- Demonstrable commitment to professional and personal development
- Experience of partnership/collaborative working and of building relationships across a variety of organisations
- Knowledge of IT systems, including ability to use word processing skills, emails and the internet to create simple plans and reports
- Access to own transport and ability to travel across the locality on a regular basis, including to visit people in their own homes
- Meets DBS reference standards and has a clear criminal record, in line with the law on spent convictions
Desirable criteria:
- NVQ Level 3, Advanced level or equivalent qualifications or working towards
- Training in motivational coaching and interviewing or equivalent experience
- 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 work)
- 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 data collection and providing monitoring information to assess the impact of services
- Knowledge of the personalised care approach
- Understanding of the wider determinants of health, including social, economic and environmental factors and their impact on communities
- Knowledge of community development approaches
- Knowledge of motivational coaching and interview skills
- Knowledge of VCSE and community services in the locality
- Willingness to work flexible hours when required to meet work demands
This post is subject to satisfactory DBS checks.
Pay: £27,000.00-£29,000.00 per year
Benefits:
Education:
- Certificate of Higher Education (preferred)
Experience:
- social prescribing: 1 year (preferred)
- Health and Social Care: 1 year (preferred)
Licence/Certification:
- right to work in the UK (required)
- Driving Licence (required)
Work Location: In person
