Social Prescribing Link Worker - Phoenix Health Primary Care Network

NHS; Aylesbury; On-site; GBP 25,000 - 28,000; Part time

Job summary

A healthcare provider in Aylesbury is looking for an experienced Social Prescribing Link Worker to support patients with long-term conditions and enable community access. The role focuses on holistic care, helping individuals maintain independence and quality of life. The successful candidate will have strong communication skills and at least one year of relevant experience. This part-time position offers a salary range of £25,000 - £28,000 FTE based on experience. Benefits include annual leave and employee support programs.

Benefits

25 days annual leave plus bank holidays

Employee Assistance Programme 24/7 Support

Qualifications

• Understanding of social, economic and environmental factors affecting communities.
• Ability to use word processing, emails, and internet effectively.
• Experience working in health and social care contexts.

Responsibilities

• Provide personalised, holistic support to people with long-term conditions.
• Facilitate care planning and coordination among various professionals.
• Reduce demand on statutory services through community access.

Skills

Understanding of the wider determinants of health

Knowledge of IT systems

Knowledge of the personalised care approach

Ability to listen and empathise

Commitment to reducing health inequalities

Education

NVQ Level 3 Advanced level or equivalent

Job description

Social Prescribing Link Worker - Phoenix Health Primary Care Network

Unity Health, Chinnor, Princes Risborough, Long Crendon, Thame and Brill

Cross Keys Surgery, Princes Risborough and Chinnor

Salary:In the range of £25,000 - £28,000 FTE dependant on experience

Working hours:Part Time 15- 35 hours per week.

25 days annual leave plus bank holidays

Employee Assistance Programme 24/7 Support

Phoenix Health PCN are looking for an experienced Social Prescriber to work as part of the Primary Care Network Team across our surgeries Haddenham Medical Centre, Unity Health and Cross Keys Practice. Working as part of a team to support patients with multiple long-term conditions, end of life diagnosis and the vulnerable, isolated and elderly population to achieve the best quality of life and independence by enabling them to have maximum support at home, encourage them to take up activities, increase their social interaction and to access services in the community.

Main duties of the job

About the PCN

Phoenix Health PCN brings together three GP practices across Buckinghamshire, working collaboratively to deliver more coordinated, accessible, and proactive healthcare for our local communities.

Our multidisciplinary team includes Health and Wellbeing Coaches, Clinical Pharmacists who support safe and effective medicines management, Pharmacy Technicians who assist with repeat prescribing and medication reviews, Care Coordinators who help patients navigate health and social care services, and Paramedics who provide timely assessment and urgent care within the community.

As demand grows and the needs of our population become increasingly complex, we are committed to strengthening our workforce further. We aim to expand our team with dedicated professionals who can help us provide tailored support to our most vulnerable patients such as those who may struggle with long-term conditions, frailty, social isolation, or barriers to accessing care. Our goal is to enhance continuity of care, improve patient outcomes, and ensure that everyone receives the right care at the right time.

About us

FedBucks is a not-for-profit GP federation of 46 GP practices covering a population of over 550,000 patients across Buckinghamshire. We began in 2016 and now employ around 300 members of staff at our head office site, and across our planned and unplanned care services.

As a GP Federation and Social Enterprise, we are proud to represent our member practices and to champion primary care by working with local general practice and system partners in the provision of community-based healthcare services. We are dedicated to providing safe and compassionate care to our patients across our range of planned and unplanned healthcare services in Buckinghamshire and believe in continuous commitment to quality service delivery and positive patient outcomes.

Patients are at the heart of everything we do, and we pride ourselves in our purpose when enabling excellent patient care and supporting general practice.

FedBucks is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people, and vulnerable adults. All staff are expected to share this commitment and to uphold the organisations safeguarding policies and procedures at all times.

The successful applicant will be required to undergo an enhanced background check (e.g., DBS) prior to appointment, and regular safeguarding training will be provided and required.

Job responsibilities

Job responsibilities

To provide personalised, holistic support to people with long-term conditions and other specified groups enabling them to access services across the community.

The aims are to

Facilitate holistic care planning and co-ordination of input from different professionals

Provide information and advice to patients about a range of services to promote their health, lifestyle and maintain independence within communities

Facilitate access to services available in the community

Reduce demand on statutory services to prevent avoidable hospital admissions, residential care placements and GP referrals.

The Social Prescriber must have started or completed the below:

NHS England and NHS Improvement online learning programme

https://www.e-lfh.org.uk/programmes/social-prescribing/

Be enrolled in, undertaking or qualified from appropriate training as set out by the Personalised Care Institute

https://www.england.nhs.uk/personalisedcare/supporting-health-and-care-staff-to-deliver-personalised-care/personalised-care-institute/

Person Specification

Skills and Knowledge

• Understanding of the wider determinants of health, including social, economic and environmental factors and their impact on communities
• Knowledge of IT systems, including ability to use word processing skills, emails and the internet to create simple plans and reports
• Knowledge of the personalised care approach
• Knowledge of community development approaches
• Knowledge of VCSE and community services in the PCN

Personal Attributes

• Ability to listen, empathise with people and provide person centred support in a non-judgemental way
• Able to get along with people from all backgrounds and communities, respecting lifestyles and diversity
• Commitment to reducing health inequalities and proactively working to reach people in all communities
• Able to support people in a way that inspires trust and confidence, motivating others to reach their potential
• Able to communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing, with people, their families, carers, community groups, partner agencies and stakeholders.
• Ability to identify risk and assess, manage risk when working with individuals
• Have 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 link worker role, e.g. when there is a mental health need requiring a qualified practitioner

Experience

• At least 1 years experience as a Social Prescriber Link Worker
• 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 partnership, collaborative working and of building relationships across a variety of organisations

Qualifications

• NVQ Level 3 Advanced level or equivalent qualifications or working towards
• Demonstrable commitment to professional and personal development

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.