Working as a Social Prescribing Link Worker offers the unique opportunity to make a meaningful impact on peoples lives by addressing their health and wellbeing holistically. In this role, youll empower individuals to take control of their health, focusing on "what matters to me" and connecting them to community groups and services that provide practical and emotional support.
Youll play a pivotal role in building personal and community resilience, helping to reduce health inequalities by tackling wider determinants of health such as debt, housing issues, and social isolation. Your work will support those with long-term conditions, mental health challenges, and complex social needs, making a real difference in improving their quality of life.
This role is not just about helping individualsits about fostering stronger, more sustainable communities. Youll collaborate with local partners to ensure community resources are accessible and thriving, even helping to inspire and establish new initiatives.
By joining us, you become part of a forward-thinking, compassionate team dedicated to transforming lives and strengthening the bonds that connect people to their communities. If youre passionate about empowering others and creating lasting change, this is the role for you.
Main duties of the job
As a Social Prescribing Link Worker, your main role will be:
Receiving and Managing Referrals: Take referrals from GP practices within the PCN and support patients using social prescribing methods.
Providing Individualised Support: Work closely with individuals, their families, and carers to help them take control of their health and wellbeing, live independently, and improve their health outcomes.
Building Trusting Relationships: Spend time understanding each persons needs, focusing on what matters to me and taking a holistic approach to their health and priorities.
Co-Producing Support Plans: Collaborate with individuals to develop personalised plans that address their goals and connect them to community groups, activities, or statutory services.
Strengthening Community Networks: Support and enhance the capacity of local voluntary, community, and social enterprise (VCSE) organisations to accept social prescribing referrals.
Promoting Wellbeing Awareness: Provide information and guidance about wellbeing and preventative approaches to improve overall health.
Addressing Wider Determinants of Health: Help individuals identify and address challenges like debt, poor housing, unemployment, loneliness, or caregiving responsibilities that impact their wellbeing.
Facilitating Community Engagement: When appropriate, accompany individuals to community groups, activities, or services to ensure they feel comfortable and supported. Follow up to ensure their needs are met and they feel included.
About us
Abbey Health Primary Care Network believes in excellent care at the heartof the community. It comprises of 2 practices, The Maltings Surgery in StAlbans, and Summerfield Health Centre in London Colney. Our vision is to forgea strong relationship between our multidisciplinary teams and the widercommunity to optimise the health and well-being of the population.
The Maltings Surgery is located in the centre of the city of St Albans witha growing population of approximately 19,000 patients. It is a progressivepractice whose ethos focuses around three aims: staff and patient wellbeing,managing our workload safely and practice sustainability. We encourage personal development and aculture of support including mentoring and supervision. Our values areimportant to us and are embedded in everything we do for both our staff and ourpatients. Four pillars underpin our values: teamwork, respect, quality andcommunity.
Summerfield Health Centre is located in London Colney, one of the biggestvillages in Britain with a population of nearly 10,000 residents. London Colneyhas a lively and cosmopolitan community. Summerfield Health Centre has recentlymoved into a new, fit for purpose, health centre that creates a hub ofcommunity services. The surgery pledge that we promise to listen, to respondand treat our patients equally and with respect by providing an accessibleprofessional service.
Job responsibilities
As a Social Prescribing Link Worker, you will empower individuals to take control of their health and wellbeing through non-medical support. You will:
Manage referrals from GP practices within Primary Care Networks, using social prescribing approaches tailored to each patients needs.
Provide personalised support to individuals, families, and carers, enabling them to live independently and improve their health outcomes.
Build trusting relationships by focusing on what matters to me and addressing wider determinants of health through a holistic approach.
Co-produce personalised support plans, connecting individuals to community groups, activities, and statutory services.
Strengthen community networks by supporting VCSE organisations and ensuring they can safely and effectively receive social prescribing referrals.
Help individuals identify and address challenges such as debt, housing, unemployment, loneliness, and caregiving.
Act as a source of guidance on wellbeing and preventative approaches.
Act as the Carers Lead for both practices.
Accompany individuals to community services where needed, ensuring they feel comfortable, engaged, and supported.
This role is about creating lasting change, strengthening community ties, and improving lives.
Person Specification
Personal Qualities and Attributes
* 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
* 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 work from an asset based approach, building on existing community and personal assets
* 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
Skills and Knowledge
* 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 IT systems, including ability to use word processing skills, emails and the internet to create simple plans and reports
* Knowledge of motivational coaching and interview skills.
* Knowledge of VCSE and community services in the locality
Other
* Meets DBS reference standards, relevant to the post and in line with the law
* Willingness to work flexible hours when required to meet work demands
* A full driving licence and access to own transport, and willingness to travel across the locality when required
Qualifications
* NVQ Level 3, Advanced level or equivalent qualifications or working towards
* Training in motivational coaching and interviewing or equivalent experience
* Demonstrable commitment to professional and personal development.
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
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.
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