About this role
Job summary
We are looking to recruit to the post of social prescribing link worker, to work within our primary care network multi-disciplinary healthcare team, providing 1:1 personalised support to people who are referred to them by team members and local agencies.
This post empowers people to take control of their health and wellbeing by giving time to focus on what matters to me. The social prescribing link worker will build trusting relationships with people, create a shared personalised care and support plan and connect them to local, diverse and culturally appropriate community groups, VCSE organisations and services. They will also work with a diverse range of partners to provide support to community groups and VCSE organisations involved in social prescribing.
This role helps people to work on their wider health and wellbeing, specifically addressing health access and outcomes and wider determinants of their health, such as debt, poor housing and physical inactivity, as well as other lifestyle issues and low-level mental health concerns by increasing peoples active involvement with their local communities. This approach particularly helps people with long term conditions (including support for mental health), people who are lonely or isolated, or who have complex social needs which affect their wellbeing.
Main duties of the job
You must be a good listener, have time for people and be committed to supporting local communities to care for each other. You should have experience of working positively with people facing complex social and emotional challenges. You will have great interpersonal skills in supporting people, community groups and local organisations.
The postholder will work with a diverse range of people from different cultural and social backgrounds. The ability to work confidently and effectively in a diverse, and sometimes challenging environment is essential. We are committed to having a workforce in which people from diverse backgrounds are supported and empowered to work with local communities to improve health access and outcomes for all and provide culturally appropriate and responsive public services.
About us
Carlisle Primary Care Network covers approx. 38000 patients registered with three Carlisle general practices. Since 2019 we have been exploring ways of working together to utilise available resources and to provide good primary care to our patients. Our practices include:
Eden Medical Group
Carlisle Central Practice
Warwick Square Group Practice
The role is based across the cluster of 3 General Practices as part of the PCN.
Job description Job responsibilities
Duties and responsibilities
Such tasks may include (list not exclusive):
Take referrals from the PCNs Core Network Practices and from a wide range of agencies, including pharmacies, wider multi-disciplinary teams, hospital discharge teams, allied health professionals, fire service, police, job centres, social care services, housing associations, and voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) organisations (list not exhaustive).
Provide personalised support to individuals, their families and carers to take control of their health and wellbeing, live independently and improve their health access and outcomes, as a key member of the PCN multi-disciplinary team. Develop trusting relationships by giving people time and focus on what matters to me. Take a holistic approach, based on the persons priorities and the wider determinants of health. Co-produce a simple personalised care and support plan to improve health and wellbeing, introducing or reconnecting people to appropriate community groups and statutory services. The role will require managing and prioritising your own caseload, in accordance with the needs, priorities and any urgent support required by individuals on the caseload. It is vital that you have a strong awareness and understanding of when it is appropriate or necessary to refer people back to other health professionals/agencies, when the persons needs are beyond the scope of the link worker role e.g. when there is a mental health need requiring a qualified practitioner.
Work with a diverse range of people and communities, to draw on and increase the strengths and capacities of local communities, enabling local VCSE organisations and community groups (including faith groups) to receive social prescribing referrals.
Alongside other members of the PCN multi-disciplinary team, work collaboratively 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 sharing intelligence regarding any gaps or problems identified in local provision with commissioners and local authorities.
Social prescribing link workers will have a role in educating non-clinical and clinical staff within their PCN multi-disciplinary teams on what other services are available within the community and how and when patients can access them. This may include verbal or written advice and guidance.
Training/personal/professional Development
Work with your supervisor and/or line manager (if different) to undertake continual personal and professional development, taking an active part in reviewing and developing the roles and responsibilities.
Adhere to organisational policies and procedures, including confidentiality, safeguarding, lone working, information governance, equality, diversity and inclusion training and health and safety.
Work with your supervising GP to access regular clinical supervision, to enable you to deal effectively with the difficult issues that people present.
Communication
The post-holder should recognise the importance of effective communication within the team and will strive to:
Communicate effectively with other team members
Demonstrate sensitive communication styles to ensure patients are fully informed and consent to treatment
Communicate effectively with patients and carers, recognising the need for alternative methods of communication to overcome different levels of understanding, cultural background and preferred ways of communicating, including those receiving bad news and respond accordingly
Act as an advocate when representing patients and colleagues
Participate in practice team meetings
Governance
Ability to obtain and document informed consent (either verbal or written)
Ensure awareness of statutory and local protection procedures, including systems of referral
Produce accurate, contemporaneous and complete records of patient consultation, consistent with legislation, policies and procedures.
Utilise appropriate coding, collecting and collating outcomes, taking part in reporting activity as required.
Work within policies regarding family violence, vulnerable children and adults, and all aspects of Safeguarding, substance abuse and addictive behaviour, and refer as appropriate
An understanding, acceptance and adherence to the need for strict confidentiality
To work only in accordance with the UKCC Code of Conduct and within the scope of professional practice
Cooperate with annual appraisal meetings
Confidentiality
In the course of seeking treatment, patients entrust us with, or allow us to gather, sensitive information in relation to their health and other matters.They do so in confidence and have the right to expect that staff will respect their privacy and act appropriately
In the performance of the duties outlined in this job description, the post-holder may have access to confidential information relating to patients and their carers, practice staff and other healthcare workers.They may also have access to information relating to the practice as a business organisation. All such information from any source is to be regarded as strictly confidential
Information relating to patients, carers, colleagues, other healthcare workers or the business of the practice may only be divulged to authorised persons in accordance with the practice policies and procedures relating to confidentiality and the protection of personal and sensitive data.
The Employee must adhere to all practice policies, which includes; Information Governance, Data Protection, Confidentiality, Caldecott and Safeguarding Policies.
Health & safety
The post-holder will implement and lead on a full range of promotion and management their own and others health and safety and infection control as defined in the practice Health & Safety policy, the practice Health & Safety manual, and the practice Infection Control policy and published procedures. This will include (but will not be limited to):
Using personal security systems within the workplace according to practice guidelines.
Awareness of infection control and clinically based patient care protocols, and adherence of those protocols across the practice.
Identifying the risks involved in work activities and undertaking such activities in a way that manages those risks across clinical and patient process.
Safe management of sharps procedures including training, use, storage and disposal.
Using appropriate infection control procedures, maintaining work areas in a tidy, clean and sterile, and safe way, free from hazards.Initiation of remedial/corrective action where needed or escalation to responsible management.
Actively identifying, reporting, and correction of health and safety hazards and infection hazards immediately when recognised.
Keeping own work areas and general/patient areas generally clean, sterile, identifying issues and hazards/risks in relation to other work areas within the business
Undertaking periodic infection control training.
Comply with waste management including collection, handling, segregation, container management, storage and collection.
Maintenance of sterile environments.
Demonstrate due regard for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of patients.
Equality and Diversity
The post-holder will support the equality, diversity and rights of patients, carers and colleagues, to include:
Acting in a way that recognises the importance of peoples rights, interpreting them in a way that is consistent with practice procedures and policies, and current legislation
Respecting the privacy, dignity, needs and beliefs of patients, carers and colleagues
Behaving in a manner which is welcoming to and of the individual, is non-judgmental and respects their circumstances, feelings priorities and rights.
Identify patterns of discrimination and take action to overcome this and promote diversity and equality of opportunity
Support people who need assistance in exercising rights
Monitor and evaluate adherence to local chaperoning policies
Accept the rights of individuals to choose their care providers, participate in care and refuse care
Assist patients from marginalised groups to access quality care
Safeguarding of Children & Vulnerable Adults
To adhere to the principals of effective safeguarding of children and vulnerable adults.
Contribution to the implementation of services:
The post-holder will:
Apply practice policies, standards and guidance.
Discuss with other members of the team how the policies, standards and guidelines will affect own work.
Participate in audit where appropriate.
Required to work flexibly including; late evenings to provide cover for extended access and work over 6 days including the weekends and bank holidays subject to the business needs.. Flexibility to cover holidays and sickness is encouraged within the team.
Other Information:
This appointment will be subject to DBS checks and completion of a 6-month probationary period for new starters to the organisation.
Person Specification
Skills, Knowledge and Aptitudes Essential
Communication skills, both written and verbal Ability to communicate difficult messages to patients and families Knowledge of the personalised care approach Understanding of the wider determinants of health, including social, economic Experience of using EMIS Web. Local knowledge of VCSE and community services in the locality. Knowledge of how the NHS works, including primary care. Application form Interview and environmental factors and their impact on communities, individuals, their families and carers. Understanding of, and commitment to, equality, diversity and inclusion. 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.
Desirable
Experience of using EMIS Web. Local knowledge of VCSE and community services in the locality. Knowledge of how the NHS works, including primary care.
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
Experience Essential
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 using tools to measure the impact of services. Experience of partnership/collaborative working and of building relationships across a variety of organisations.
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 Eden Medical Group
Address PCN Hub
Carlisle Primary Care Network
Morton Surgery
Lanrigg Road
Carlisle
CA2 6DT
United Kingdom
Employer's website https://www.edenmedicalgroup.co.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)