Social Prescribing Practitioner in Wakefield

Please note the interview date will potentially be on the 1st October or the 2nd October 2026.

Are you passionate about improving health, wellbeing and opportunity for people who may face significant barriers to support? This is an exciting opportunity to shape and deliver a consistent social prescribing offer across Spectrum’s prison services, helping patients access the practical, social and emotional support that can make a real difference to their health and recovery.

As Social Prescribing Practitioner, you will work with patients, healthcare teams, prison colleagues, VCSE partners and community services to understand “what matters” to individuals, co-produce personalised wellbeing plans and connect people safely to meaningful activities, peer support and wider services. You will also play a key role in developing referral pathways, mapping local assets, supporting purposeful activity, strengthening through-the-gate links and using feedback and outcome information to improve the service.

Role is based at Navigation Walk working across Spectrum North East
Prisons.

Main duties of the job

We are looking for someone with experience in social prescribing, personalised care, health and wellbeing, community development, public health, health or social care. You will bring excellent communication and relationship-building skills, a compassionate and non-judgemental approach, and the ability to work confidently across organisational boundaries. You will be able to manage a caseload, undertake holistic strengths-based conversations, support staff and patients to build confidence, use coaching or motivational interviewing approaches, and collect and present information clearly to demonstrate impact.

Experience of prison healthcare, criminal justice, secure environments, through-the-gate support, co-production, peer support or VCSE partnership working would be helpful, but most important is your commitment to reducing health inequalities, improving access for underserved populations and working in line with Spectrum’s values of Working Together, Integrity, Respect and Recognition, Compassion and Innovation.

Working for our organisation

BE THE DIFFERENCE IN HEALTHCARE

Join our team

We’re looking for passionate individuals to join our diverse and innovative team.

Whether you are starting out in your healthcare journey or are an experienced healthcare professional looking for a new challenge we’ve got a role for you!

• Access to NHS Pension
• Time for you day (additional day off)
• Refer a friend scheme
• Training and Development opportunities
• Flexible Working
• Access to Employee Assistance and Health and Wellbeing programmes
• Up to 33 days annual leave

We have an ambition to become a truly lived experience inclusive employer, changing how we approach staff experience and value personal stories our colleagues bring with them.

We welcome applications from everyone, including applicants with lived experience, those who belong to LGBTQIA+ Community and are Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer (or questioning), Intersex and Asexual, people with a disability, neurodivergent applicants and people from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) backgrounds.

Spectrum Community Health CIC provides a range of award-winning healthcare services on behalf of the NHS, Local Authority Public Health services, and other partners across substance misuse, sexual health, and health and justice settings. As a not-for-profit social enterprise and Community Interest Company our focus is centred on people – our patients, service users, staff and partners.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Please see the job description for further details on the role and the person specification. Or contact Dr Arasu Kuppuswamy for further details.

Person specification

Education

• Relevant degree, professional qualification or equivalent experience in social prescribing, health and wellbeing, community development, public health, health or social care.
• Evidence of continuing professional development relevant to personalised care and social prescribing.
• Training in health coaching, motivational interviewing, behaviour change or care navigation
• Membership of a relevant professional network or register, where applicable.

Knowledge

• Experience of working in or alongside health, care, VCSE, community or inclusion health services.
• Practical understanding of social prescribing, personalised care and strengths-based approaches
• Experience of supporting people with complex needs, disadvantage or barriers to access.
• Experience of partnership working and developing referral pathways across organisational boundaries
• Experience of collecting activity and outcome information and producing clear reports.
• Understanding of safeguarding, confidentiality, professional boundaries, risk management and escalation.
• Experience of managing a caseload and providing personalised support over multiple contacts.
• Experience of referral triage, holistic assessment, personalised support planning, review and safe discharge.
• Understanding of the distinction between active signposting, social prescribing, health and wellbeing coaching and care coordination.
• Experience of using coaching or motivational interviewing techniques.
• Experience of working with VCSE organisations, peer support or community assets.
• Experience in prison healthcare, criminal justice or another secure environment.
• Experience of through-the-gate or resettlement pathways.
• Experience of co-production, peer support or lived-experience programmes.
• Experience of using SystmOne or a comparable clinical information system.
• Knowledge of health inequalities, Core20PLUS5 and health and justice priorities.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.