Job summary
Social prescribing empowers people to take control of their health and wellbeing through GP referral to non-medical Community Link Workers (CLWs) based in GP surgeries 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. Community Link Workers work collaboratively with all local partners.
Social prescribing can help to strengthen community and personal resilience and reduces health inequalities by addressing the wider determinants of health, such as debt, poor housing, and physical inactivity, by increasing peoples 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.
As part of the NHS Long-Term Plan to drive Universal Personalised Care, it is aimed to benefit 2.5 million people by March 2024. Social Prescribing is a key component to this.
Main duties of the job
As a member of the established PCN Team, the post holder will work alongside existing Community Link Workers (Social Prescribing), Care Coordinators, a Mental Health Worker and a PCN Clinical Compliance Lead, as well as local community and voluntary services.
You will help provide a service that focuses on personalised care planning for each patient who requires this level of practical or emotional support.
- Build trust with the person and use active listening to focus on a what matters to me approach.
- Receive and manage referrals from multiple sources.
- Provide sensitive support to understand the wider issues that is impacting a persons health, such as debt, housing or loneliness.
- Empower people to take control of their own health, wellbeing and independence.
- Use the what matters to me approach to develop the personalised care and support plans with the help of multidisciplinary teams within the PCN.
- Follow up with patients to ensure they are happy, engaged and if any further services are required.
- Work with the team to review any unmet need within the community and potential creation of new services to tackle inequalities across the patch.
- Apply a caring, resilient, and dynamic approach.
- Understand the importance of relaying information whilst maintaining confidentiality.
About us
LAKESIDE HEALTHCARE is changing the face of primary care provision in England. We are bold, adventurous and ambitious and determined to thrive in uncertain times. We are the largest true partnership in the NHS and operate from various sites across the East Midlands. We serve the healthcare needs of over 170,000 patients across Northamptonshire, Lincolnshire & Cambridgeshire.
our values
Caring & Respect: Simply put we genuinely care about people: working together for our patients and our teams, our patients come first in everything we do.
Teamwork & Quality: In all areas of our business we network, collaborate and learn from our Patients, Stakeholders and each another to ensure we are always striving to improve, making the right and best decisions to provide the best service.
About the Team
Primary Care Networks (PCN) were introduced in July 2020, as part of the NHS Long Term Plan, to encourage more collaborative and joint up thinking working across GP surgeries with its local communities.
For more information on PCNs, please visit this link: https://www.england.nhs.uk/primary-care/primary-care-networks/
This role will be based within Rockingham Forest PCN, spanning across the geography of north Northamptonshire. Supporting integrated care for patients by working with local partners for a positive lifetime of health, wellbeing and care in the community.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Lakeside Healthcare are looking to employ Community Link Workers (Social Prescribing) to assist in the provision of care for patients within our Primary Care Network (PCN).
The PCNs vision is to work together to deliver the best possible outcomes for our patients and staff. You will work in close partnership with our member practice teams as well as health, statutory and voluntary groups to create effective help and support for those that need it whilst being a key point of contact to enable patients to be supported within their local community.
Empowering people to take control of their health and wellbeing through GP referral to non-medical Community Link Workers (CLWs) based in GP surgeries 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. Community Link Workers work collaboratively with all local partners.
Social prescribing can help to strengthen community and personal resilience and reduces health inequalities by addressing the wider determinants of health, such as debt, poor housing, and physical inactivity, by increasing peoples 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.
Key responsibilities
- Liaise and engage with member practices to ensure Community Link Workers (SPLWs) are valued and effective members of the PCN team.
- Establish and maintain effective liaison with stakeholders including health, voluntary, social, financial and education resources
- Work in partnership with local voluntary and community organisation to build a comprehensive directory of local resource to design and support social prescribing.
- Ensure information on local voluntary and community resource is always up to date to enable effective and accurate signposting and linking of patients with services.
- Train and develop wider practice teams to improve SPLW referral suitability and effectiveness.
- Establish and maintain comprehensive data and evaluation systems.
- Produce quarterly reports in relation to service delivery and progress.
- Partake in audit as directed by the PCN Clinical Director.
- Take referrals from and make referrals to a wide range of appropriate agencies.
- Ensure the social prescribing function within the PCN is successful and delivers the required service in line with NSHE guidelines.
- Co-produce personalised support plans with individuals, their families and carers that help them take control of their wellbeing, live independently and improve their health outcomes.
- Take a holistic approach, based on the persons priorities and the wider determinants of health.
- When appropriate, refer patients back to other health professionals/agencies, if their requirements exceed the scope of a SPLW.
- Ensure all relevant groups and organisations maintain basic procedures that include the consideration of vulnerable individuals and safeguarding concerns.
- Work collectively with all local partners to ensure community groups are strong and sustainable.
- Work with commissioners and local partners to identify unmet needs within the community and gaps in community provision and support development of new groups and services where needed, and thereby influence the development of services that will benefit this target population and tackle health and neighbourhood inequalities.
- Work sensitively with people, their families and carers to capture key information, enable tracking of the impact of social prescribing on their health and wellbeing.
- Provide one-to-one consultations (mindful of the organisations lone working policy), giving patients time to tell their stories and focus on what matters to me .
- Work with the person, their families and carers and consider how they can all be supported through social prescribing.
- Work with other link workers to create a wider team understanding of the service that can be offered to patients and opportunities for further improvement of the offer and patient outcomes.
Person Specification
Experience
Essential
- Experience of working with the general public.
- Experience of working in a healthcare setting or in the leisure industry/public/voluntary sector.
- Experience of delivering lifestyle changes interventions.
Desirable
- Experience working within a SPLW role.
- Experience of working with vulnerable people.
- Experience of working as a health advisor/trainer.
Qualifications
Essential
- NVQ Level 3, Advanced level or equivalent qualifications or working towards.
- Demonstrable commitment to professional and personal development.
Desirable
- 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.
Employer details
Employer name
Lakeside Healthcare Group
Address
Cottingham Road
Corby
Northamptonshire
NN17 2UR