Social Prescribing Link Worker - Hanley, United Kingdom - Hanley, Bucknall & Bentilee Primary Care Network

Description

Title
Social Prescribing Link Worker


Responsible to:

PCN Manager/Health and Wellbeing Team Manager/Clinical Director


Accountable to:

PCN Governing Board


Job Role and Purpose

As a Social Prescriber, you will work as a key part of the primary care network (PCN) multi-disciplinary team to empower people to take control of their health.

With a focus on a holistic

'What matters to me' approach to connect and signpost patients to statutory or voluntary services for practical and emotional support within their local community, which will enable them to build knowledge and resilience.

The post holder will work in partnership with their clinical and non-clinical colleagues, management support and the wider PCN to ensure the role delivers the best possible outcomes for our patients.

The role is varied, and may include supporting self-management education, peer support, and case management. You will support personal choice, while ensuring that patients understand the accountability of their own actions and decisions.

Social prescribing can help to reduce health inequalities by addressing the wider determinants of health, such as debt, poor housing, and physical inactivity, by increasing patients' awareness of and involvement in their local community, particularly for those with complex social needs, loneliness and isolation and wellbeing issues.

Your role and skills will support and encourage the prevention of developing further illness, or the deterioration of existing long-term conditions.

Please note this job is based within our 4 surgeries or at our PCN office. We do not off remote/hybrid working.


Key Responsibilities

The post holder will:

• Take referrals from across the PCN, manage and prioritise a caseload, and provide support, information, and guidance in accordance with the needs of the patient population.
• Ensure all interventions designed to empower patients to be active participants in their own healthcare, empower them to manage their own health and wellbeing, and engage with support independently.
• Work with the broader MDT to maximise the support available to patients, to connect patients to communitybased activities which support them to take increased control of their health and wellbeing.
• Work across the four practices within the PCN, including a combination of in person, and telephone appointments for patients.

Patient Care and Support:

• Build trust and respect with the person, providing nonjudgemental and nondiscriminatory support, respecting diversity and lifestyle choices. Work from a strengthbased approach focusing on a person's assets.
• Increase patient motivation to selfmanage.
• Be a friendly, professional, and engaging source of information about local agencies, organisations and services that can provide support and empower patients and their families to take control of their health and wellbeing.
• Work with individuals to coproduce a simple personalised support plan based on the person's 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 do for themselves to improve their health and wellbeing.
• When needed and appropriate facilitate referrals to community groups, activities, and statutory services.

PCN and MDT

• Provide education and specialist expertise to fellow PCN staff, ensuring they are aware of social prescribing services and support colleagues to improve their skills and understanding of social prescribing and how this can improve health outcomes, ensuring consistency in the follow up of people's goals where an MDT is involved.
• Raise awareness within the PCN of shared decision making and decision support tools and supporting people in shared decisionmaking conversations.
• Engage with and support the new and evolving agendas and service requirements across the PCN, including our work with Care Homes.
• As part of the PCN multidisciplinary team, build relationships with staff in GP practices within the local PCN, attending relevant MDT meetings, giving information and feedback.

System Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain effective relationships with the VCSE sector, ensuring that patients can easily move between services and community resources to access additional support.
• Work in partnership with all local agencies to raise awareness of health and wellbeing coaching, and how partnership working can reduce pressure on statutory services, improve health access and outcomes and enable an integrated approach to care.
• Seek regular feedback about the quality of service and impact of health coaching on referral agencies.
• Alongside other members of the PCN multidisciplinary team, collaborate with all local diverse partners to contribute towards supporting the local VCSE organisations and community groups to become sustainable and that community assets are nurtured, through sha