Social Prescribing Link Worker

This vacancy is for 22.5 hours per week and the Social Prescriber will be linked to two of our seven PCN Practices: Approximately two days at Priors Field Surgery in Sutton, and one day at St Mary\’s Surgery in Ely. It may also be necessary to provide cross-cover for annual leave, sickness and similar situations.

At its heart, thisjob is about helping people work out what they themselves need to improve theirhealth and wellbeing, and then supporting them to make practical and realistic plansto change things for the better. The role very much involves helping the personconnect into their own local community networks of family, friends, and organisations,and helping the person navigate more traditional health and social careservices when needed.

Over the last five years,our Social Prescribing Link Workers have become key members of our GP Practiceteams – highly valued and appreciated by the GPs and Practice team colleagues,and also by the frontline staff from other organisations working across theEast Cambridgeshire Neighbourhood.

The post-holderwill manage their own caseload, with the majority of referrals coming from theGPs and the Practice teams. Much of the day-to-day work is done via phone andemail, and client notes saved in the GP clinical system. Our Social Prescribersare also expected to work in the community, visiting patients at home andattending meetings as and when needed.

Main duties of the job

The post-holderwill work directly one-to-one with patients registered at either Priors Field orSt Mary\’s Surgeries who need help with non-medical aspects of their lives. Thiswill include supporting people with emotional, social and practical support,including:

• getting help with housing
• getting help with transport, mobility, and accessibility
• accessing advice around money, debt, and benefits
• managing forms and correspondence
• making meaningful social connections
• connecting with mental health services and social services
• maintaining healthy lifestyles, activities, and exercise
• finding and maintaining employment and meaningful activities
• getting help with activities of daily living and assistive technology
• Getting help with any family or caring responsibilities they may have.

The Social Prescriber is not expected to be expert in each and every area above, but is expected to be a skilled generalist: able to rapidly get a good understanding of the patients own views, needs, and wishes, know what help is available, and how to access it.

Furthermore, over time, Social Prescribers develop a detailed picture and understandingof their local community – what\’s available, what isn\’t, what works, and whatdoesn\’t and this intelligence helps identify areas of greatest need and the prioritiesfor community development. Many of our Social Prescribers have had greatsuccess working with others to set up groups and activities in their local GP patches.

The above is not an exhaustive list.

About us

Primary Care Networks formed in 2019, grouping General Practices into local clusters, with the aim of supporting Practices and driving improvements in population health and wellbeing at a community level.

Ely PCNs are a network of seven of the eight GP Practices in East Cambridgeshire and, in total, look after the 86,000 patients registered at one of our seven GP Practices:

• Cathedral Medical Centre, Ely
• Priors Field Surgery, Sutton
• St Georges Medical Centre, Littleport
• Staploe Medical Centre, Soham

Working alongside the GP Practice teams, Ely PCNs support 50 staff, including Social Prescribers, First Contact Physios, Care Coordinators, Health and Wellbeing Coaches, a Recovery Coach, Pharmacy Technicians, and Clinical Pharmacists. Ely PCNs has a full-time manager, a Lead Nurse, and GP Leads for Diabetes, Frailty, Heart failure, and Mental Health.

We have two forward-thinking Clinical Directors and excellent relationships with our local partner organisations. We have a reputation as an innovative PCN that can successfully deliver.

Initiatives we support include a breastfeeding support project for new parents, a project for young people who have experienced domestic violence, and a rapid-response substance misuse worker, and a community heart failure clinic, as well as facilitating an Enhanced Access out of hours service and the local Covid vaccination programmes.

Job responsibilities

At its heart, thisjob is about helping people work out what they themselves need to improve theirhealth and wellbeing, and then supporting them to make practical and realistic plansto change things for the better. The role very much involves helping the personconnect into their own local community networks of family, friends, and organisations,and helping the person navigate more traditional health and social careservices when needed.

Over the last five years,our Social Prescribing Link Workers have become key members of our GP Practiceteams – highly valued and appreciated by the GPs and Practice team colleagues,and also by the frontline staff from other organisations working across theEast Cambridgeshire Neighbourhood.

This vacancy is fora Social Prescriber linked to two of our seven PCN Practices: two days at Priors Field Surgery in Sutton, and one day at St Mary\’s Surgery in Ely. The post-holderwill manage their own caseload, with the majority of referrals coming from theGPs and the Practice teams. Much of the day-to-day work is done via phone andemail, and client notes saved in the GP clinical system. Our Social Prescribersare also expected to work in the community, visiting patients at home andattending meetings as and when needed.

The post-holderwill work directly one-to-one with patients registered at either Priors Field or St Mary\’s Surgeries who need help with non-medical aspects of their lives. Thiswill include supporting people with emotional, social and practical support,including:

• getting help with housing
• getting help with transport, mobility, and accessibility
• accessing advice around money, debt, and benefits
• managing forms and correspondence
• making meaningful social connections
• connecting with mental health services and social services
• maintaining healthy lifestyles, activities, and exercise
• finding and maintaining employment and meaningful activities
• getting help with activities of daily living and assistive technology
• Getting help with any family or caring responsibilities they may have.

The Social Prescriber is not expected to be expert in each and every area above, but is expected to be a skilled generalist: able to rapidly get a good understanding of the patients own views, needs, and wishes, know what help is available, and how to access it.

Furthermore, over time, Social Prescribers develop a detailed picture and understanding of their local community – what\’s available, what isn\’t, what works, and what doesn\’t and this intelligence helps identify areas of greatest need and the priorities for community development. Many of our Social Prescribers have had great success working with others to set up groups and activities in their local GP patches.

Every week, Social Prescribers meet with colleagues from other organisations, at our East Cambs Neighbourhood Wellness Hub, to share ideas and discuss solutions for any patients who are facing particularly complex life challenges. This is proving a very supportive and effective way of working.

The above is not an exhaustive list and a job description / Person Specification is also attached in supporting documents.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• GCSE grade C or equivalent in Maths and English.
• Further qualification in Social Prescribing or a related health and social care area.

Additional criteria

• Good fit with practice team.
• Good fit with PCN and wider neighbourhood team.
• Ability to travel and work with clients in the community.
• Satisfactory references from two previous employers.
• Satisfactory result on Enhanced CDS check.

Experience

• Although no formal qualifications in Social Prescribing are needed to apply, the successful candidate will be enthusiastic about supporting individuals and communities, and committed to equality, social inclusion, and strengths-based, person-centred approaches. They will be able to demonstrate some experience in this area.
• The post-holder will need to have excellent communication skills and be comfortable using IT. Problem-solving, pragmatism, and patient-focus are essential to the success of this role, as is the ability to build honest, non-judgemental, boundaried and professional relationships with clients and colleagues.
• Experience of working in General Practice / Community Care / Voluntary & Community Sector / Social Care.

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.

Part-time,Flexible working,Home or remote working

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