Social Prescriber (Maternity Cover) in Sheffield

Take a whole population approach, working with a range of people who may benefit from social prescribing, including people who are lonely, have complex social needs, low-level mental health needs and long-term conditions.

Help people to identify issues that affect their health & wellbeing, and co-produce a simple personalised care and support plan.

Support people by connecting them to non-medical, community-based activities, groups and services that meet their practical, social and emotional needs, including specialist advice services and arts and culture, physical activity, and nature and green based activities.

Use coaching and motivational interviewing techniques to support people to take control of their own health and wellbeing.

Support development of accessible and sustainable community offers by working in partnership with VCSE organisations, local authorities and others to identify gaps in provision, and take a community development approach to enabling growth in community activities and groups.

Main duties of the job:

• Provide personalised support to individuals, their families and carers to access community-based activities and support that can help them to take control of their health and wellbeing through co-producing a simple personalised care and support plan and introducing people to appropriate activities, groups and services.
• Work with appropriate supervision as part of the PCN to manage and prioritise your own caseload, in accordance with needs, priorities and support required by individuals.
• Refer people back to other health professionals/agencies, as appropriate or necessary.
• Build ongoing relationships with local infrastructure organisations, community activities and support services to increase knowledge of the community support offer, and work collaboratively to develop effective partnership working to support the community offer to be sustainable, identifying gaps in provision, nurturing community assets and sharing intelligence on gaps or problems with commissioners and local authorities.
• Promote social prescribing as an approach across the PCN and wider agencies, including its role in supported self-management, in addressing health inequalities and the wider determinants of health, reducing pressure on statutory services, improving access to healthcare and improving health outcomes, and in taking a holistic approach to care.

Qualifications:

• Educated to GCSE level or equivalent GCSE Mathematics & English (C or above).
• NVQ Level 3, Advanced level or equivalent qualifications or working towards.
• Demonstrable commitment to professional and personal development.
• Training in motivational coaching and interviewing or equivalent experience.

Experience:

• Ability to maintain effective working relationships and to promote collaborative practice with all colleagues.
• Ability to work flexibly and enthusiastically within a team or on own initiative.
• Knowledge of, and ability to work to, policies and procedures, including confidentiality, safeguarding, lone working, information governance, and health and safety.
• Have awareness and understanding of when it is appropriate or necessary to refer people back to other health professionals/agencies, when the person's needs are beyond the scope of the role.
• Confidently approaches difficult conversations.
• Ability to organise, plan and prioritise on own initiative, including when under pressure and meeting deadlines.
• Able to work from an asset-based approach, building on existing community and personal assets.
• Knowledge of how the NHS works, including primary care and MDT working.
• Knowledge of IT systems, including ability to use word processing skills, emails and the internet to create simple plans and reports.
• Understanding of, and commitment to, equality, diversity and inclusion.
• Understanding of the wider determinants of health, including social, economic and environmental factors and their impact on communities, individuals, their families and carers.
• 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 data collection and using tools to measure the impact of services.
• Experience of partnership/collaborative working and of building relationships across a variety of organisations.
• Local knowledge of VCSE and community services.
• Knowledge of community development approaches including asset-based community development and community resilience.
• Knowledge of the personalised care approach.
• Utilises the evidence base for social prescribing interventions and activities.

Skills, Personal Qualities & Other Requirements:

• Excellent communication skills (written and oral).
• Clear, polite telephone manner.
• Competent in the use of Office and Outlook.
• Effective time management (Planning & Organising).
• Ability to work as a team member and autonomously.
• Good interpersonal skills.
• Problem solving & analytical skills.
• Ability to follow policy and procedure.
• Flexible and cooperative.
• Motivated.
• Forward thinker.
• High levels of integrity and loyalty.
• Sensitive and empathetic in distressing situations.
• Ability to work under pressure.
• Flexibility to work outside of core office hours.
• Willingness to work flexible hours when required to meet work demands.
• Access to transport and ability to travel across the locality on a regular basis, including to visit people in their own homes and support people to attend activities as appropriate.
• Experience of using clinical systems, including SystmOne.

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.