Trainee Social Prescriber

We have an exciting, new opportunity to become a Social Prescriber and join our PCN team. Social prescribing empowers people to take control of their health and wellbeing through referrals to non-medical ‘link workers’ who give time, focus on ‘what matters to me’ and take an holistic approach, connecting people to community groups and statutory services for practical and emotional support. Link workers support existing groups to be accessible and sustainable and help people to start new community groups, working collaboratively with all local partners. Social prescribing can help to strengthen community resilience and personal resilience and reduces health inequalities by addressing the wider determinants of health, such as debt, poor housing and physical inactivity, by increasing people’s active involvement with their local communities. It particularly works for people with long-term conditions (including support for mental health), for people who are lonely or isolated, or have complex social needs which affect their wellbeing. The service also relieves a lot of pressure off the health service and will increase the number of GP appointments available.

The job involves:

- Promoting social prescribing, its role in self-management, and the wider determinants of health.
- Build relationships with key staff in GP practices within the local Primary Care Network (PCN), attending relevant meetings, becoming part of the wider network team, giving information and feedback on social prescribing.
- Be proactive in developing strong links with all local agencies to encourage referrals, recognising what they need to be confident in the service to make appropriate referrals.
- Work in partnership with all local agencies to raise awareness of social prescribing and how partnership working can reduce pressure on statutory services, improve health outcomes and enable a holistic approach to care.
- Provide referral agencies with regular updates about social prescribing, including training for their staff and how to access information to encourage appropriate referrals.
- Seek regular feedback about the quality of service and impact of social prescribing on referral agencies.
- Be proactive in encouraging self-referrals and connecting with all local communities, particularly those communities that statutory agencies may find hard to reach.
- Meet people on a one-to-one basis, making home visits where appropriate within organisations’ policies and procedures. Give people time to tell their stories and focus on ‘what matters to me’. Build trust with the person, providing non
- judgemental support, respecting diversity and lifestyle choices. Work from a strength-based approach focusing on a person’s assets.
- Be a friendly source of information about wellbeing and prevention approaches.
- Help people identify the wider issues that impact on their health and wellbeing, such as debt, poor housing, being unemployed, loneliness and caring responsibilities.
- Work with the person, their families and carers and consider how they can all be supported through social prescribing.
- Help people maintain or regain independence through living skills, adaptations, enablement approaches and simple safeguards.
- Work with individuals to co-produce a simple personalised support plan - based on the person’s priorities, interests, values and motivations - including what they can expect from the groups, activities and services they are being connected to and what the person can do for themselves to improve their health and wellbeing.
- Forge strong links with local VCSE organisations, community and neighbourhood level groups, utilising their networks and building on what’s already available to create a map or menu of community groups and assets.
- Develop supportive relationships with local VCSE organisations, community groups and statutory services, to make timely, appropriate and supported referrals for the person being introduced.
- Ensure that local community groups and VCSE organisations being referred to have basic procedures in place for ensuring that vulnerable individuals are safe and, where there are safeguarding concerns, work with all partners to deal appropriately with issues. Where such policies and procedures are not in place, support groups to work towards this standard before referrals are made to them.
- You will be involved in assisting with the handling of calls, carrying out general administrative duties, assisting vulnerable patients.

You will need to have the following skills:

- You must be able to confidently write an essay in English.
- You must demonstrate that you enjoy working with people.
- You must have strong listening and communication skills.
- You must be motivated to help people with care and empathy.
- Experience of working directly in a community development context, adult health and social care, learning support or public health.

**Salary**: £24,000.00 per year

**Benefits**:

- On