PCN Social Prescribing Link Worker

at  Hillfoot Surgery

Key responsibilities: the successful applicant/s will Provide personalised Social Prescribing support to individuals, their families and carers to take control of their wellbeing to live independently, improving health outcomes. Develop trusting relationships by giving people time and focusing 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 groups and statutory services.
The role will require the managing and prioritizing of your own caseload in accordance with the needs, priorities and any urgent support required by individuals. The successful candidate/s will have a strong awareness and understanding of when it is appropriate or necessary to refer people back to other health professionals/agencies when it is clear that what the person needs is beyond the scope of non-medical intervention e.g. when there is a mental health need requiring a qualified practitioner. Work closely with the full PCN workforce to deliver a truly holistic health and wellbeing service to our patient population, having a good understanding of the full range of services available in-house Draw on and increase the strengths and capacities of local communities, enabling local VCSE organisations and community groups to receive social prescribing referrals.
Ensure they are supported, have basic safeguarding processes for vulnerable individuals and can provide opportunities for the person to develop friendships, a sense of belonging, and build knowledge, skills and confidence. Assist patients with referrals for neurodiversity issues such as autism, ADHD etc, understanding the local and national pathways in place facilitating these Key Tasks Build relationships with key staff in GP practices within the local Primary Care Network (PCN), attending relevant meetings and becoming part of the wider PCN team, giving information and feedback on social prescribing. Also build relationships with the wider PCN team and actively participate in multi disciplinary meetings, having gained an understanding of the services of each of the other clinical disciplines within the PCN 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. Seek regular feedback about the quality of service and impact of social prescribing on referral agencies.
Be proactive in encouraging self-referrals and connecting with all local communities, particularly those communities that statutory agencies may find hard to reach. Provide personalised support Work from a strength-based approach focusing on a persons assets. Be a friendly source of information about wellbeing and prevention approaches. Help people identify the wider issues that impact on their health and wellbeing, such as debt, poor housing, being unemployed, loneliness and caring responsibilities.
Work with the person, their families and carers and 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. 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.
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. Support community groups and VCSE organisations to receive referrals 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. Use these opportunities to promote micro-commissioning or small grants if available. Work with commissioners and local partners to identify unmet needs within the community and gaps in community provision.
Work sensitively with people, their families and carers to capture key information, enabling tracking of the impact of non-medical interventions on their health and wellbeing. Support referral agencies to provide appropriate information about the person they are referring. Use the case management system to track the persons progress. Provide appropriate feedback to referral agencies about the people they referred.
Seek opportunities as landscapes change and evolve to embrace new workstreams, targeting cohorts of patients most likely to benefit. This may include group workin

Please refer the Job description for details