Social Prescribing Link Worker

**CRGPA JOB DESCRIPTION**

**Social Prescribing Link Worker**
The job description and person specification are an outline of the tasks, responsibilities and outcomes required for the role. The post holder will carry out any other duties as may reasonably be required to fulfil the objectives of the team.

**Job Title: Social Prescribing Link Worker**

**Term: Permanent**

**Salary: £25,162.95 per annum**

**Organisation**:Coventry & Rugby GP Alliance (CRGPA)

**Reports to**: Lead Social Prescriber

**Outline**:Coventry and Rugby GP Alliance (CRGPA) formed as a brand-new organisation in April 2015. The CRGPA is committed to supporting
Primary Care in Coventry & Rugby and is involved in designing, and developing services and new ways of working. General practice is at the heart of all these decisions.

**Location**:Coventry & Rugby

**Summary of Responsibilities**:
Social prescribing empowers people to take control of their health and wellbeing through referral or direct access to non-medical ‘link workers’ who give time, focus on ‘what matters to me’ and take a holistic approach, connecting people to community groups and statutory services for practical and emotional support.

Social prescribing can help to strengthen community 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 works particularly well 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.

**Main Duties & Responsibilities**:

- Work alongside individuals to identify goals and formulate simple care plans to support their wellbeing
- Knowledge of the personalised care approach and providing personalised support
- 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 and respect with the person, providing non-judgmental and non-discriminatory support, respecting diversity and lifestyle choices. Work from a strength-based approach focusing on a person’s assets.
- 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 to address the person’s health and wellbeing needs - based on the person’s priorities, interests, values, cultural and religious/faith

**CRGPA JOB DESCRIPTION ** needs 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.
- Where appropriate, physically introduce people to culturally appropriate community groups, activities and statutory services, ensuring they are comfortable, feel valued and respected. Follow up to ensure they are happy, able to engage, included and receiving good support.
- Build relationships with key staff within the PCN, attending relevant meetings, becoming part of the wider network team, giving information and feedback on social prescribing.
- Be proactive and 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 teams within the PCN with regular updates about social prescribing, including training for their staff and how to access information to encourage appropriate referrals and seek regular feedback.
- Organise and prioritise workload
- Support community groups and VCSE organisations to receive referrals
- Work collectively with all local partners to ensure community groups are strong and sustainable, identifying gaps in provision of services in the community.
- Data capture: The post holder is responsible for maintaining accurate records using the Practice’s

Clinical System.

**Requirements on all employees of the CRGPA**

**Risk Management**
The management of risk is the responsibility of everyone within the CRGPA, and will be achieved within a progressive, positive, honest and open environment. Staff will be provided with the necessary education, training and support to enable them to meet this responsibility.

It is the responsibility of staff to make themselves familiar with the _Information Governance Policy, Major Incident Policy and Fire Policy_, and to ensure they are familiar with the ‘