Job summary
BMC Paston Group have an exciting opportunity for a full-time Social Prescribing Link Worker to join our multidisciplinary team of Doctors, Nurses,Pharmacists, Paramedics, HCAs andPersonalised Care Team in a warm and welcoming General Practice setting in the heart ofPeterborough.
Recently awarded 'Outstanding' by CQC, BMC has a passion for education,training and research.
Workingwithin the GP practice, the Social Prescribing Link Worker will take referralsfrom GPs and members of the multidisciplinary SocialPrescribing Link Worker will provide personalised support to individuals, theirfamilies and carers to take control of their well-being, live independently andimprove their health outcomes. Develop trusting relationships by giving peopletime and focus on what matters to me. Take a holistic approach, based on thepersons priorities and the wider determinants of health. Co-produce apersonalised support plan to improve health and wellbeing, introducing orreconnecting people to community groups and statutory services. The role willrequire managing and prioritising your own caseload, in accordance with theneeds, priorities and any urgent support required by individual.
Main duties of the job
Social Prescribing helps to strengthen personal and community resilience, and reduce health inequalities by addressing the wider determinants of health, such as debt, poor housing and physical inactivity.
Working within the GP practice, the Social Prescribing Link Worker will take referrals from GPs and members of the multidisciplinary team. It is vital that the successful candidate has a strong awareness and understanding of when it is appropriate or necessary to refer people back to other health professionals/agencies, when what the person needs is beyond the scope of the SPLW role when there is a mental health need requiring a qualified practitioner.
The Social Prescribing Link Worker will provide personalised support to individuals, their families and carers to take control of their well-being, live independently and improve their health outcomes. 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 personalised support plan to improve health and wellbeing, introducing or reconnecting people to 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 individual.
About us
BMC Paston PCN has a dynamic, motivated and friendly team with a passionfor education and development. We are a registered training practice and areactively involved in research.
BMC Paston is a modern day GP practice situated in the heart of the City of Peterborough with a branches in Paston and Werrington,caring for a diverse patient population of over 45,000 patients. We have a very experienced and highly skilled clinical team of Doctors, ANPs,Nurses, Paramedics, HCAs, Clinical Pharmacists and Pharmacy Technicians.
We have a Personalised Care Team of Social Prescribing Link Workers, Care Co-ordinators and a Personalised Care Lead Nurse providing proactive care and support to our patients.
For more information, please see:
Job description
Job responsibilities
Working inpartnership with key staff in the GP practice to deliver their priorities,attending relevant meetings, becoming part of the wider PCN team, givinginformation and feedback on social prescribing. As a member of the PersonalisedCare team you will attend regular team meetings to give feedback on theservice, raise issues and receive briefings and updates from team members.
- Accept referralsfor people with health conditions (including common mental health conditions,obesity, diabetes, respiratory conditions, mobility issues and sensoryimpairment) who wish to benefit from community support, focusing on people whoare isolated. This includes self-referrals and online enquiries.
- Proactivelycontact, engage and inspire people to take part, assessing their needs andoffering a personalised approach to include face to face meetings, home visits,telephone support as required.
- Motivate, empowerand encourage people to take positive action to improve their health andwellbeing, by connecting with others, attending groups, promoting self-care,volunteering, accessing advice and information and support services. Set goalsand develop plans with people to help them take control of their health andwellbeing.
- Work with peoplein a supportive, holistic way (using a Motivational Interview approach) toaddress practical and psychological barriers, such as lack of transport, lowconfidence and social isolation, to co-produce a solution.
- Using the JOYsystem and directory, support people to choose appropriate community activitiesto support their well-being, such as exercise groups, self-help groups, debtadvice, community gardening.
- Maintain regular,supportive contact to address issues as they arise and ensure people progressand achieve their goals.
- Ensure allnecessary data and information about patients, users and volunteers is recordedaccurately and confidentially on the practice database with awareness ofinformation governance best practice.
- Use recognisedtools with patients to track improvements in their health and wellbeing, andwork with the GP practice to review data on GP appointments and hospitaladmissions to track statistical improvements at practices.
- Engage withPatient Participation Groups, existing community groups, patients and staff topromote volunteer opportunities.
- Work closely withthe Personalised Care team to benefit from the co-ordination of activities andlink in with the wider service offer.
- Help to identifyopportunities and activities in the local area which people could benefit from,such as local community groups, make contact, engage them in the service andregister them on the JOY directory (with support from colleagues).
- Achieve targetsfor numbers of people engaged and supported and produce monthly monitoringreports as required.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
1. Level 5 qualification ( Diploma of higher education Diploma of further education Foundation degree HND or equivalent professional experience)
Experience
Essential
2. Experience of working directly in a community development context, adult health and social care, learning support or public health/health improvement (including unpaid work).
3. Experience of managing a caseload of clients and keeping up to date records using a database.
4. Experience of working with individuals (1-2-1) and groups of people in different settings to help them achieve their goals.
5. Experience of working with a range of agencies and organisations to develop effective working relationships.
6. Experience working with people with multiple needs.