Social Prescriber

**JOB TITLE**:Social Prescriber - WGGL PCN

**ACCOUNTABLE TO**: PCN Clinical Director

**RESPONSIBLE TO**:PCN Board members

**REPORT TO**: PCN Manager

**BASE**:Practices defined within the designated PCN

**HOURS**: 37.5 hours per week

**PURPOSE OF ROLE**:
WGGL Primary Care Networks (PCN) are groups of GPs and surgeries working together with a range of local providers to offer more personalised and coordinated health and social care to their local populations

**Job Summary**

Social Prescribers are responsible for providing non-clinical support by linking patients to community and voluntary services across Suffolk, adopting a holistic approach to supporting patients to improve their health and wellbeing.

We are now looking for someone to join our team and provide a service across WGGL PCN at Wickhambrook, Guildhall, Glemsford and Long Melford Surgeries.

You must have excellent interpersonal and communication, case management, care assessment planning and support skills.

**Job Purpose**

**Main Responsibilities**:

- Undertake work in line with PCN directed priorities
- Proactively identify and work with a cohort of people to support their personalised care requirements, using the available decision support aids
- Ensure regular and consistent communication with the referrer regarding patient progress and any complications or guidance
- Raise awareness of health promotion and NHS health checks in practices
- Evaluate treatment programmes that promote health and well-being
- Co-ordinate clinics, liaising with the schedulers and contracting the identified patients with appointments
- Manage patient initiated calls for help/signposting etc., booking into named GP urgent care slots/Tel slots if necessary.
- Document and monitor aspects of patient co-ordination and service delivery, supporting data collection and audit using the patient administration system
- Demonstrate the ability to recognise and respond appropriately when faced with a sudden deterioration or emergency, alerting the team or enabling a rapid response.
- Organise and prioritise own workload the post holder should be comfortable working independently and as a committed member of the multi-disciplinary team
- Supporting national screening programmes
- Support immunisation programmes
- Monitor referrals to ensure tasks are completed and care delivered by keeping in regular telephone contact
- Direct liaison with multi agencies to coordinate care for patients
- To support patient/carer contact roles, and collate patient and carer feedback on their experiences
- Support Quality and Outcome Frameworks and other DES/LES specifications
- Maintain and develop engagement with all practice staff and encourage best practice
- Act as the first port of call for patients, in their caseload in relation to their care
- Bring together all the persons identified care and support needs, and explore their options to meet theses into a dingle personalised care and support plan (PCSP), in line with PCSP best practice
- Help people to manage their needs, answering their queries and supporting them to make appointments
- Support people to take up training, employment, and success appropriate benefits where eligible.
- Raise awareness of shared decision-making and decision support tools, and assist people to be more prepared to have a shared decision-making conversation
- Support people to understand their level of knowledge, skills, and confidence their Activation level when engaging with their health and wellbeing.
- Assist people to access self-management education courses, peer support or interventions that support them in their health and well being
- Explore and assist people to access personal health budgets where appropriate.
- Provide coordination and navigation for people and their carers across health and care services, alongside working closely with social prescribing link workers and other primary care roles
- Participate in clinical multi-disciplinary team meetings to offer social prescribing solutions for complex patients, liaising with other agencies if necessary as well as GPs, Pharmacists and Nursing team.
- Empower patients to make better health & wellbeing choices and access local resources
- Increased engagement with and uptake of wider services.
- Reduced GP attendance and reduced admissions to A&E and secondary care.
- Good networks and relationships amongst local community organisations.
- Work with patients on a one to one basis to identify holistic support needs and offer information and signposting to relevant local services.
- Be proactive in encouraging self-referrals and connecting with all local communities, removing barriers particularly for those communities who may be under-represented in this service.
- Be a friendly source of information about health, 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 an