Neighbourhood Navigator

JOB DESCRIPTION

NEIGHBOURHOOD NAVIGATOR

Salary: up to £33,200 pro rata depending on experience

Accountable to: PCN Clinical Director

Responsible to: Violet Melchett Health and Wellbeing Hub Development and Partnerships Manager / The Senior D&T manager

Hours of work: Up to 37.5 hours per week

Location: Violet Melchett Health and Wellbeing Hub sites in Flood Walk, Chelsea Manor St and Earls Court Health and Wellbeing Hub and South GP practices.

Job Purpose

Neighbourhood Navigators are central to helping people get the support they need to access health and wellbeing resources. You will work with local people to build trusting relationships and listen to what matters to them. You will help individuals to co-ordinate and navigate their care across the health and care system. The aim is to support people to become more active in their own health and care with a particular focus on 'seldom heard' groups who find it more difficult to access the support and care they need.

Brompton Primary Care Network is a group of 12 practices all based in the south of Kensington and Chelsea. As a Neighbourhood Navigator you will work with individual practices and also support the work of the Violet Melchett Health and Wellbeing Hub covering the residents in the south of the Borough.

As a Neighbourhood Navigator you will receive training and supervision in all aspects of the role. When you are trained, depending on the needs of the PCN, your skills and in discussion with the manager you may have the opportunity to work in all or focus on one of the following key areas:

a) To actively listen to people's health and wellbeing needs and identify areas where they need support related to economic barriers, health, exercise and activities to address social isolated and have basic needs. You will either signpost or connect directly to community resources.

b) Providing support and guidance to help people navigate the complexity of the health system, for example following up on the non-clinical tasks arising from a person's GP appointment.

c) Focus on what matters to the individual, taking a holistic approach to link people to community groups and services for practical and emotional support. Social prescription strengthens community and personal resilience, reduces health inequalities, and addresses broader health determinants like debt, poor housing, and physical inactivity by increasing community involvement. It is particularly beneficial for those with long-term conditions, mental health issues, loneliness, or complex social needs affecting their wellbeing.

d) Support clinical leads utilising population health data to proactively identify and work with a cohort of patients, delivering personalised care and improving outcomes in the following key priority areas including Diabetes, Improving early cancer diagnosis – cervical screening, bowel, breast and prostate screening, cardiovascular disease and hypertension.

e) Undertake Cardiovascular Disease screening in the PCN and in outreach events

Major Responsibilities/Essential Functions

· Deliver personalised care and improve outcomes in the following key priority areas:

o Helping people to optimise their health and wellbeing by providing support to navigate the health and social care system and social prescription

o Improving early cancer diagnosis – cervical screening, bowel, breast and prostate screening

o Cardiovascular disease and hypertension

Cardiovascular disease and long term conditions

· Run cardiovascular screening clinics seeing patients to take their blood pressure, monitor their weight, heart rhythm and advise on cardio vascular health

· Support patients to utilise decision aids in preparation for a shared decision-making conversation, providing them with evidenced-based information to allow them to make an informed choice.

· Help people to manage their needs through answering queries, making and managing appointments, and ensuring that people have good quality written or verbal information to help them make choices about their care, using tools to understand people's level of knowledge, confidence in skills in managing their own health.

· Assist people to access self-management education courses, peer support , community activities or interventions that support them to take more control of their health and wellbeing.

· Appropriately liaise and feedback to the Clinical Lead, GP and the patients GP

· Ensure clear and accurate record keeping into the electronic record (SystmOne) including being able to code as appropriate.

Social prescription and system navigation

· Work with individuals to:

o Signpost to the most appropriate community group, voluntary sector provider, local resource.

o Facilitate patient pathways, where necessary assist patients to book follow up appointments, undertaking any administrative requirements following a referral by their GP, support in collecting prescriptions.

o Educate and provide information to people about health and wellbeing and the use of services.

o Take time to listen to ensure that the individual plays an active part in determining their support needs.

o Identify unpaid carers and enable access to local support services.

o Take referrals from practices, other health and social care professionals and voluntary groups or proactively identify people who could benefit from support.

o Develop an in-depth knowledge of the local health and care infrastructure and know how and when to enable people to access support and services that are right for them.

· Support the delivery of activities in Community Corner ensuring that it is tidy and organised

· Providing cover for Community Corner as and when necessary and supporting the VM Health and Wellbeing Hub Partnerships and Development Manager to organise and deliver a programme of events

· Participate in joint meetings with others working in the system participating in on site events and outreach initiatives as necessary

· Work alongside a small team of volunteers to extend the reach and capacity of neighbourhood navigation.

· Support the VM Health and Wellbeing Hub Operational Manager in training and inducting volunteers undertaking sessions in Violet Melchett Health and Wellbeing hub

· Undertake administration tasks as and when needed including taking minutes in meetings, organising meetings, collating information for meetings

Data Capture

· Work sensitively with individuals, families and carers to gather information and track the impact of social prescribing on health and wellbeing using

· Encourage sharing of feedback and personal stories

· Support referral agencies in providing accurate information and use a case management approach to monitor progress

· Collaborate with GP practices to ensure social prescribing codes and referrals are captured in SystemOne

· Use the JOY platform to record referrals, pathway and outcomes

Confidentiality

While seeking treatment, patients entrust us with, or allow us to gather, sensitive information in relation to their health and other matters. They do so in confidence and have the right to expect that staff will respect their privacy and act appropriately.

In the performance of the duties outlined in this job description, the post-holder may have access to confidential information relating to patients and their carers, practice staff and other healthcare workers. They may also have access to information relating to the practice as a business organisation. All such information from any source is to be regarded as strictly confidential.

Information relating to patients, carers, colleagues, other healthcare workers or the business of the practices and the teams working as part of the VM Health and Wellbeing Hub 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.

Professional development

1) Work with a named clinical point of contact for advice and support.

2) Undertake continual personal and professional development, taking an active part in reviewing and developing the role and responsibilities, and provide evidence of learning activity as required.

3) Adhere to organisational policies and procedures, including confidentiality, safeguarding, lone working, information governance, equality, diversity and inclusion training and health and safety.

Miscellaneous

1) Establish strong working relationships with GPs and practice teams and work collaboratively with other care coordinators, social prescribing link workers and health and wellbeing coaches.

2) Demonstrate a flexible attitude and be prepared to carry out other duties as may be reasonably required from time to time within the general character of the post or the level of responsibility of the role, ensuring that work is delivered in a timely and effective manner.

3) Identify opportunities and gaps in the service and provide feedback to continually improve the service and contribute to business planning.

4) Contribute to the development of policies and plans relating to equality, diversity and reduction of health inequalities.

5) Work in accordance with the practices' and PCN's policies and procedures; g. Contribute to the wider aims and objectives of the PCN to improve and support primary care.

Supervision and Line Management

1) You will be employed by the West London GP Federation on behalf of the PCNs.

2) You will work with a named clinical lead/point of contact for your priority area who is available for advice and support and who will provide supervision.

3) Day to day line management will be provided by the Violet Melchett Health and Wellbeing Hub Development and Partnerships Manager / The Senior D&T manager.

Person Specification

Qualifications

· Health, social care or information and advice *desirable

· Educated to degree level or above *essential

· Motivational interview training *desirable

Experience

· At least 6 months experience of working in a paid or voluntary capacity in health, social care or information and advice *desirable

· Experience of working with volunteers *desirable

· Experience of working with person centred planning *desirable

Skills and Knowledge

· Computer literate, able to use email, the internet and web searches as standard applications and databases *essential

· Understanding of the wider determinants of health including the social, economic and environmental factors that impact *essential

· Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written; able to supply reports as required *essential

· Able to collect data required to monitor effectiveness *essential

· Can demonstrate an approach to gaining knowledge of local services *essential

· This post requires someone with a mature outlook, able to be supportive while being clear on boundaries. *essential

· Flexibility, stamina and a willingness to provide equitable coverage to the local community and patients visiting Violet Melchett Health and Wellbeing Hub *essential

· Tactful and diplomatic, able to build relationships with people from a wide range of backgrounds *essential

Job Types: Full-time, Fixed term contract

Contract length: 24 months

Pay: £33,000.00-£33,200.00 per year

Benefits:

• Company pension

Education:

• Bachelor's (preferred)

Work Location: In person