Social Prescriber

**Job Description JOB TITLE**: Social Prescribing Link Worker Children & Young People WTE: 0.6 wte (3 days/week) including weekend availability PAY: £29,000 pro-rata (£17,400) ACCOUNTABLE TO: Operations Manager BASE: Foundry Surgeries, Lewes Town Centre, East Sussex Foundry Healthcare Lewes Foundry is an innovative single Practice PCN serving a population of circa 28,500 patients from 4 sites across the Lewes and Ringer area of East Sussex. The Practice has received national acclaim for its multi-disciplinary, population health management approach. Our mission is to continuously improve the experience of care and outcomes for our local population. Role Summary At Foundry we have a team of three Social Prescribing Link Workers (SPs) each with a specific focus on our frail and elderly patients; our working age adults and our children and young people.

SPs work as key and highly valued members of our extended Foundry team promoting holistic support and managing a caseload of patients. They support people and their carers/family in taking control of their own health and wellbeing, connecting them with community groups and statutory services in line with their individual needs. These roles also work collaboratively with partner agencies enabling existing or emerging groups to be more accessible and responsive to identified patient needs. Our Social Prescriber works with children and young people up to the age of 20 years as well as their carers and families where appropriate.

**Main Duties Include**: Developing and strengthening connections with community groups and statutory services in the local area including SENCOs at local schools; Building and keeping up to date, a directory of services and signposting patients and their families via our web-site and other promotional material to appropriate community support; Building trust with individual patients and their families, providing non-judgemental support, respecting diversity and lifestyle choices; Working from a strength-based approach focusing on a persons assets by using health coaching techniques; Acting as a source of information about health, wellbeing and prevention approaches; Helping people identify the wider issues that impact on their health and wellbeing, such as debt, poor housing, being unemployed, loneliness, isolation and caring responsibilities; Working with the patient, their families and carers and consider how they can all be supported through a social prescribing approach; Acting as the point of contact for children and young people, supporting their access to services where required via phone or in person and including families and carers when appropriate. Managing a caseload of patients within agreed set of parameters around prioritisation, duration, throughput etc; Helping to develop a methodology and introduce a system for collating data on patient numbers and outcomes/impact, producing regular reports for the Management Committee on the above; Working in an integrated way with the whole Social Prescribing and aligned Clinical Team to co-ordinate and prioritise caseloads, thereby supporting each other; Building relationships with key staff in the Practice, attending relevant meetings, becoming part of the wider network team, giving information and feedback on social prescribing; Being proactive in developing strong links with all local agencies including the East Sussex County Council Social Prescribing Co-ordinator and HAF providers to encourage referrals which involves face to face networking in Lewes; Giving young people a voice, ensuring they influence the operational and strategic direction of the Foundry; Using all methods of communication, including digital media to promote and inform patients about the service; Seeking advice and support from the GP supervisor (monthly clinical supervision meetings) and/or Operations Manager to discuss patient-related concerns (e.g. safeguarding or health concerns) referring the patient back to the GP or other suitable health professional if required. Confidentiality: Information relating to patients, carers, colleagues, other healthcare workers or the business of the practice may only be divulged to authorised persons in accordance with the practice policies and procedures relating to confidentiality and the protection of personal and sensitive data.

**Health & Safety**: The post-holder will assist in promoting and maintaining their own and others health, safety and security as defined in the practice Health & Safety policy, the practice Health & Safety manual, and the practice Infection Control policy and published procedures. Equality and Diversity: The post-holder will support the equality, diversity and rights of patients, carers and colleagues, in line with the Practice policy and procedures.