Social Prescribing Link Worker (22.5 hours per week)
Are you looking for a new challenge with the opportunity to apply your existing knowledge and skills to help shape services within a new Primary Care Network (PCN)? Do you want to make a real difference to patient care?
If so, an exciting opportunity has arisen for a Social Prescribing Link Worker within the newly formed Kirkham & Wesham PCN. You will be an integral part of the team, helping to provide an effective service to our patients as well as enhancing a forward thinking PCN. Does this sound like the opportunity for you? If so, Kirkham & Wesham PCN would love to hear from you!
Main duties of the job
Socialprescribing is a key component of the NHS Long Term Plan for PersonalisedCare. The NHS is committed to making Social Prescribers available to people inevery GP Practice across England. Social Prescribing Link Workers (SPLWs) focus on apatients view - what matters to me, taking a holistic approach to peopleshealth and wellbeing. They connect people to community groups and statutoryservices for practical and emotional support.
The service is becoming quickly established in England, helping tostrengthen community and personal resilience, and reduce health inequalities,by addressing the wider determinants of health, such as debt, poor housing andphysical inactivity, by increasing peoples active involvement with their localcommunities. It particularly works for people with long-term conditions(including support for mental health), who are lonely or isolated, or havecomplex social needs which affect their wellbeing.
The Link Worker will work between the two GP practices to further develop our social prescribing service,supporting patients to access all available community opportunities. Linkingindividuals with community and volunteering support so they can take charge oftheir own health and well-being.
About us
Kirkham & Wesham PCN has a population of approximately 22,000 patients registered with 2 GP practices based in the market town of Kirkham. PCNs form a key building block of the NHS Long Term Plan, bringing general practices together to deliver a wider range of services to their patients. Kirkham & Wesham PCN is a newly formed PCN with an innovative, forward thinking, friendly and focussed team. We value the diversity of our colleagues and actively champion an inclusive culture and are committed to helping our colleagues achieve a work/ life balance. You'll be joining a great team, in a great place, where your commitment will be valued, your skills respected, and your ambition rewarded.
Job responsibilities
Primary Duties and Areas of Responsibility
Take referrals from multiple agencies
Provide personalised support toindividuals, their families and carers to take control of their wellbeing, liveindependently and improve their health outcomes. Develop trusting relationshipsby giving people time and focus on what matters to them. Take a holisticapproach, based on the persons priorities and the wider determinants ofhealth. Co-produce a personalised support plan to improve health and wellbeing,introducing or reconnecting people to community groups and statutory services.The role will require managing and prioritising a caseload, in accordance withthe needs, priorities and any urgent support required by individuals. It isvital that the post holder has a strong awareness and understanding of when itis appropriate or necessary to refer people back to other healthprofessionals/agencies, when the persons needs are beyond the scope of thelink worker role e.g. when there is a mental health need requiring aqualified practitioner.
Be proactive in developing stronglinks with all local agencies to encourage referrals, recognising what theyneed to be confident in the service to make appropriate referrals. Draw on andincrease the strengths and capacities of local communities, enabling local VCSEorganisations and community groups to receive social prescribing referrals.Ensure they are supported, have basic safeguarding processes for vulnerableindividuals and can provide opportunities for the person to developfriendships, a sense of belonging, and build knowledge, skills and confidence.
Promotesocial prescribing, its role in self-management, and the wider determinants ofhealth.
Buildrelationships with key staff in GP practices within the local Primary CareNetwork (PCN), attending relevant meetings, becoming part of the wider networkteam, giving information and feedback on social prescribing.
Provide referral agencies withregular updates about social prescribing, including training for their staffand how to access information to encourage appropriate referrals.
Seekregular feedback about the quality of service and impact of social prescribingon referral agencies.
Beproactive in encouraging self-referrals and connecting with all localcommunities, particularly those communities that statutory agencies may findhard to reach.
Meet people on a one-to-one basis,making home visits where appropriate within organisations policies andprocedures. Give people time to tell their stories and focus on their view whatmatters to me. Build trust with the person, providing non-judgmental support,respecting diversity and lifestyle choices. Work from a strength-based approachfocusing on a persons assets.
Bea friendly source of information about wellbeing and prevention approaches.
Help people identify the wider issuesthat impact on their health and wellbeing, such as debt, poor housing, beingunemployed, loneliness and caring responsibilities.
Workwith the person, their families and carers and consider how they can all besupported through social prescribing.
Help people maintain or regainindependence through living skills, adaptations, enablement approaches andsimple safeguards.
Work with individuals to co-produce asimple 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 dofor themselves to improve their health and wellbeing.
Where appropriate, physicallyintroduce people to community groups, activities and statutory services,ensuring they are comfortable. Follow up to ensure they are happy, able toengage, included and receiving good support.
Where people may be eligible for apersonal health budget, help them to explore this option as a way of providingfunded, personalised support to be independent, including helping people togain skills for meaningful employment, where appropriate.
Support community groups and VCSEorganisations to receive referrals
Forge strong links with local VCSEorganisations, community and neighbourhood level groups, utilising theirnetworks and building on whats already available to create a map or menu ofcommunity groups and assets. Use these opportunities to promote micro-commissioningor small grants if available.
Develop supportive relationships withlocal VCSE organisations, community groups and statutory services, to maketimely, appropriate and supported referrals for the person being introduced.
Ensure that local community groupsand VCSE organisations being referred to have basic procedures in place forensuring that vulnerable individuals are safe and, where there are safeguardingconcerns, work with all partners to deal appropriately with issues. Where suchpolicies and procedures are not in place, support groups to work towards thisstandard before referrals are made to them.
Check that community groups and VCSEorganisations meet in insured premises and that health and safety requirementsare in place. Where such policies and procedures are not in place, supportgroups to work towards this standard before referrals are made to them.
Support local groups to act inaccordance with information governance policies and procedures, ensuringcompliance with the Data Protection Act.
Communication:
The post-holder should recognise the importance ofeffective communication within the team and will strive to:
Communicate effectively with otherteam members, attend Practice meetings and contribute as necessary.
Communicate effectively with patientsand carers
Recognise peoples needs foralternative methods of communication and respond accordingly
Confidentiality
Inthe course of seeking treatment, patients entrust us with, or allow us togather, sensitive information in relation to their health and othermatters. They do so in confidence andhave the right to expect that staff will respect their privacy and actappropriately. The post-holder shouldalways respect patient confidentiality and not divulge patient informationunless sanctioned by the requirements of the role.
Information Technology
Work sensitively with people, theirfamilies and carers to capture key information, enabling tracking of the impactof social prescribing on their health and wellbeing.
Encourage people, their families andcarers to provide feedback and to share their stories about the impact ofsocial prescribing on their lives.
Support referral agencies to provideappropriate information about the person they are referring. Use the casemanagement system to track the persons progress. Provide appropriate feedbackto referral agencies about the people they referred.
Work closely with GP practices withinthe PCN to ensure that social prescribing referral codes are inputted into EMISand that the persons use of the NHS can be tracked. Also that the PCN documentationand other important documentation is maintained on the Document ManagementSystem (GP Clarity) adhering to data protection legislation and datasharing agreements with the Integrated Care Board (ICB).
Workclosely with the NHS Central Support Unit (CSU) and the Practice Managers tomanage data collection, record appropriate coding, analyse reports etc toenable informed decision making and continuous quality improvement.
Thepost-holder will undertake regular professional development as agreed for therole, taking an active part in reviewing and developing the role andresponsibilities and provide evidence of learning activity as required e.g.personalised care planning.
Equality and Diversity
Thepost-holder must co-operate with all policies and procedures designed to ensureequality of employment. Co-workers, patients and visitors must be treatedequally irrespective of gender, ethnic origin, age, disability, sexualorientation, religion etc.
The post holder will contribute to tacklinginequalities in health and social care particularly regarding individuals withlong-term conditions. An ethos of promotion of independence andpartnership-working is integral to this post.
Demonstratea flexible attitude and be prepared to carry out other duties as may reasonablybe required within the general character of the post, ensuring that work isdelivered in a timely and effective manner.
Otherduties which may be decided upon by the Kirkham and Wesham PCN Board from timeto time
Workin accordance with the PCNs policies and procedures.
Contributeto the wider aims and objectives of the PCN to improve and support primarycare.
Job Description Agreement
This JobDescription is flexible and the post holder will be expected to undertake anyother duties appropriate to the role and grade as may be required by theGPs/Practice and PCN Management. This job description is subject to change fromtime to time in line with organisational need and the post holders agreementshould not unreasonably be denied
Person Specification
Knowledge and Skills
* 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
* Meets DBS reference standards and has a clear criminal record, in line with the law on spent convictions
* Willingness to work flexible hours when required to meet work demands, including weekends and evenings
* Access to own transport and ability to travel across the locality on a regular basis, including to visit people in their own homes
* Knowledge of the personalised care approach
* Knowledge of motivational coaching and interview skills
* Knowledge of VCSE and community services in the locality
Experience
* Demonstrable commitment to professional and personal development
* Ability to listen, empathise with people and provide person-centered support in a non-judgmental 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 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
* 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
* Understanding of the needs of small volunteer-led community groups and ability to support their development
* Knowledge of and ability to work to policies and procedures, including confidentiality, safeguarding, lone working, information governance, and health and safety
* 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 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
* Understanding of the wider determinants of health, including social, economic and environmental factors and their impact on communities
* Experience of supporting people with their mental health, either in a paid, unpaid or informal capacity
* Experience of data collection and providing monitoring information to assess the impact of services
Qualifications
* GCSE English and Maths and NVQ Level 3 or Advanced level or equivalent qualifications or work experience
* Training in motivational coaching and interviewing or equivalent experience
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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