PCN Social Prescribing Link Worker

The Confederation, Hillingdon CIC; Ruislip; On-site; GBP 26,000 - 36,000; Full time

Job summary

The Confederation, Hillingdon CIC in Ruislip is seeking a full-time Social Prescriber to join the Celandine & Metrocare PCN. You will support patients by linking to community resources, working within a multidisciplinary PCN team and under GP supervision.

You will manage a caseload, develop personalised care plans, connect people to services, and help reduce health inequalities by addressing wider determinants of health.

Responsibilities

• Take referrals from a GP and PCN partners; provide personalised support to individuals and families to improve health and wellbeing.
• Manage and prioritise your own caseload; co-produce simple personalised care and support plans.
• Introduce or reconnect people to appropriate community groups and statutory services.
• Know when to refer back to other health professionals when needs exceed the link worker scope.

Job description

We are looking for a full-time Social Prescriber to join our Celandine & Metrocare PCN in Ruislip. Social prescribing empowers people to take control of their health & wellbeing through referral to link workers who give time, focus on what matters to me & take a holistic approach to an individuals health & wellbeing, connecting people to diverse community groups & statutory services for practical & emotional support. Link workers support existing groups to be accessible, sustainable & help people to start new community groups, working collaboratively with all local diverse partners. Social prescribing link workers will work as a key part of the primary care network (PCN) multi-disciplinary team. Social prescribing can help PCNs to strengthen community & personal resilience, reduce health inequalities (in relation to timely access and outcomes) & wellbeing inequalities by addressing wider determinants of health, such as debt, poor housing & physical inactivity, by increasing peoples active involvement with their local diverse communities. In particularly for people with long term conditions (including support for mental health), people who are lonely/isolated, or have complex social needs which affect their wellbeing. The successful candidate will manage a caseload of clients through assessment to onward-referral, working with clients in the practice that have been referred by the GP. Providing ongoing support over an allocated timeframe.

Main duties of the job

Working with direct supervision by a GP, 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 (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 needs require a qualified practitioner.

The Confederation, Hillingdon CIC works with General Practice and other healthcare providers to deliver its vision for Hillingdon to deliver the best primary care outcomes for patients in the whole of London. We are a not for profit community interest company. The Confederation works to develop and support individual GP practices, PCNs and Neighbourhoods and their changing needs. We deliver excellent clinical services ourselves both at scale and complementary to General Practice. We are the provider representative voice for local General Practice into the wider NHS and other Partners. We are of the NHS but independent, innovative and transformational. The Confederation determines to develop as an attractive place to work, providing rewarding roles and opportunities to grow in order to attract and retain great staff that in turn delivers our vision.

Our Values

• We work together to make a difference for patients
• We care enough to go the extra mile
• We support, trust, and empower
• We sincerely value each other
• We support Primary Care to own its destiny