Skip to content

Job Description

Job title: Social Prescribing Link Worker

SALARY: £24,965.00  pa

Hours of Work: 35 per week

(The service will work flexibly to meet the needs of the PCN)

Location: Base TBC – GP Practices within the South Central Solihull PCN and, as necessary, Age UK Solihull offices at The Core. Home and community visits are essential to this role. 

Responsible to: Director of Services, Age UK Solihull (a Supervising Lead from the PCN will be appointed as will a Clinical Lead from each practice within the PCN)

Responsible for: N/A

Job purpose:                               

To empower people to take control of their health and wellbeing.

To take a holistic approach to an individual’s health and wellbeing, connecting people to community groups and statutory services

To support the PCN to strengthen community and personal resilience and reduce health and wellbeing inequalities by addressing the wider determinants of health and by increasing people’s active involvement with their local communities.

To work as a key part of the primary care network (PCN) multidisciplinary team.

To support existing groups to be accessible and sustainable and help people to start new community groups, working collaboratively with all local partners.

Key responsibilities: 

  1. Working with direct supervision by a GP, take referrals from a wide range of agencies, primarily the PCNs’ GP practices and multi-disciplinary team.

  2. Provide personalised support to individuals, their families and carers to take control of their health and wellbeing, live independently and improve their health outcomes

  3. Develop trusting relationships by giving people time and focus on ‘what matters to me’. Take a holistic approach, based on the person’s priorities and the wider determinants of health.

  4. Co-produce a simple personalised care and support plan to improve health and wellbeing, introducing or reconnecting people to community groups and statutory services.

  5. Manage and prioritise a caseload, in accordance with the needs, priorities and any urgent support required by individuals on the caseload.

  6. Have an awareness and understanding of when it is appropriate or necessary to refer people back to other health professionals/agencies, when what the person’s needs are beyond the scope of the link worker role

  7. Alongside other members of the PCN multi-disciplinary team, work collaboratively with all local partners to contribute towards supporting local VCSE organisations and community groups, identifying gaps in provision

  8. Provide basic training to non-clinical and clinical staff within the PCN on what services are available within the community and how and when patients can access them.

Key tasks:

Referrals

  1. Promote social prescribing, its role in self-management, and the wider determinants of health.

  2. As part of the PCN multi-disciplinary team, build relationships with staff in GP practices within the local PCN, attending relevant MDT meetings, giving information and feedback on social prescribing

  3. Work in partnership with all local agencies to raise awareness of social prescribing and how partnership working can reduce pressure on statutory services, improve health outcomes and enable a holistic approach to care

  4. Be proactive in encouraging self-referrals and connecting with local communities

Personalised support

  1. Meet people on a one-to-one basis, making home visits where appropriate

  2. Give people time to tell their stories and focus on ‘what matters to me’. Build trust with the person, providing non-judgemental support, respecting diversity and lifestyle choices.

  3. Work from a strength-based approach

  4. Be a friendly source of information about health, wellbeing and prevention approaches

  5. Help people identify the wider issues that impact on their health and wellbeing, such as debt, poor housing, being unemployed, loneliness and caring responsibilities

  6. 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

  7. Forge strong links with local VCSE organisations, community and neighbourhood level groups, utilising their networks and building on what’s already available to create a menu of community groups and assets

General tasks:

Data capture

  1. Work sensitively with people, their families and carers to capture key information, enabling tracking of the impact of social prescribing on their health and wellbeing

  2. Encourage people, their families and carers to provide feedback and to share their stories about the impact of social prescribing on their lives

  3. Work closely within the MDT and with GP practices within the PCN to ensure that the social prescribing referral codes are inputted into clinical systems, adhering to data protection legislation and data sharing agreements.

Professional development

  1. Undertake continual personal and professional development, taking an active part in reviewing and developing the roles and responsibilities

  2. Adhere to organisational policies and procedures of both Age UK Solihull and the PCN, including confidentiality, safeguarding, lone working, information governance, and health and safety

  3. Work with your supervising GP to access regular ‘clinical supervision’.

Miscellaneous

  1. Work as part of the healthcare team to seek feedback, continually improve the service and contribute to business planning

  2. Undertake any tasks consistent with the level of the post and the scope of the role, ensuring that work is delivered in a timely and effective manner

  3. To attend any training or meetings deemed necessary

  4. Duties may vary from time to time, without changing the general character of the post or the level of responsibility.

Additional Notes

All staff are expected to work flexibly in terms of location and role.

All staff have a particular responsibility for ensuring that Safeguarding Adults legislation and guidelines are adhered to, that the well-being of at risk individuals is promoted and that at risk individuals are aware of their right to protection from all forms of abuse.

Appointment to this post is subject to an acceptable DBS Check and references.

This post requires use of a car and a full driving licence.

All staff have an individual responsibility to comply with Age UK Solihull’s Policy and Practice on Health and Safety Matters.

Related Links