Social Prescribing Link Worker - Maternity
An exciting opportunity is available to work alongside the maternity team at North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust who are running a pilot programme within their maternity services which involves patients interacting with social prescribing, empowering people to take control of their health and wellbeing through referral to non-medical link workers 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.
Main duties of the job
Social prescribing can help to strengthen personal resilience and reduce family health inequalities by addressing the wider determinants of health, such as debt, poor housing and isolation. This benefits and contributes to positive outcomes for the mother, infant and family during pregnancy and early years.
About us
At Hartlepool & Stockton Health GP Federation, our guiding aim is to improve the health and wellbeing of local people. Relationships are key to everything we do and by working closely with local health care providers, we ensure that we deliver an integrated approach that offers the support and expertise needed to effectively serve our communities. We strive to provide excellent services that help people to live their best lives.
Job responsibilities
Job Summary
To work in collaboration with and support the Midwifery team centred around vulnerable pregnant women in an aim to reduce health inequalities.
1. Provide personalised support to individuals and their families enabling them to take control of their wellbeing, live independently and improve their health outcomes.
2. Develop trusting relationships by giving people time and focusing on what matters to them. Take a holistic approach, based on the person's priorities and the wider determinants of health.
3. Co-produce a personalised support plan to improve health and wellbeing, introducing or reconnecting people to community groups and statutory services.
4. Work in collaboration with the Senior Clinical Matron, Vulnerability Lead Midwives, Team Lead Midwives and Midwives, to report and provide constructive feedback on a regular basis, whilst identifying and disseminating learning from audits, outcomes, practice and teaching sessions.
5. Take referrals from maternity services, working with multi-disciplinary teams, including fire service, police, job centres, social care services, housing associations, and voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) organisations (list not exhaustive).
6. Manage and prioritise your own caseload, in accordance with the needs, priorities and any urgent support required by the individual.
7. Draw on and increase the strengths and capacities of local communities, enabling local organisations and community groups to receive social prescribing referrals.
8. Promote social prescribing, its role in self-management, and the wider determinants of health.
9. Be proactive in developing strong links with all local maternity services to encourage referrals.
10. Provide maternity services with regular updates about social prescribing, including training for staff and how to access information to encourage appropriate referrals.
11. Seek regular feedback about the quality of service and impact of social prescribing on referral agencies.
12. Meet people on a one-to-one basis, making home visits where appropriate within organisations' policies and procedures.
13. Help people identify the wider issues that impact on their health and wellbeing, such as debt, poor housing, being unemployed, loneliness and caring responsibilities.
14. Work with individuals to co-produce a simple personalised support plan based on the person's priorities, interests, values and motivations.
15. Where appropriate, physically introduce people to community groups, activities, and statutory services.
16. Support people to gain skills for meaningful employment or access to education.
17. Work with commissioners and local partners to identify unmet needs within the community and gaps in community provision.
18. Encourage people who have been connected to community support through social prescribing to volunteer and give their time freely to others.
19. Develop a team of volunteers within your service to provide buddying support for people.
20. 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.
21. Follow step-down process to encourage independence and long-term goal achievement.
Person Specification
Experience
* Please tell us about your skills and experience.
* Please tell us about your skills and experience in working within healthcare.
Driving License
* You have a driving license and access to a vehicle with business insurance.
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.
Deputy Head of Operations & Service Delivery
Full-time, Part-time, Job share, Flexible working, Compressed hours
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