Stevenage South Primary Care Network has an opportunity for a social prescriber to join our PCN team on a part-time basis, working for 7.5 hours a day over 2 or 3 days per week.
Social prescribing empowers people to take control of their health and well-being through referral to non-medical ‘link workers’ who give time to focus on what matters to each individual, taking a holistic approach and connecting people to community groups and statutory services, for practical and emotional support.
The main responsibilities of the role include:
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.
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.
For further information about the responsibilities of this role, please see the attached job description.
About the Candidate
If you are a local community champion or already a social prescriber, and want a new and exciting challenge, then we would love to hear from you.
You will need to have the following skills :
NVQ Level 3, advanced level or equivalent qualification, or working towards this level;
Demonstrable commitment to professional and personal development;
Experience of working directly in a community development context, adult health and social care, learning support or public health/health improvement (including unpaid work);
Understanding of the wider determinants of health, including social, economic and environmental factors and their impact;
Knowledge of community development approaches;
Knowledge of IT systems, including ability to use word processing skills, emails and the internet to create simple plans;
Knowledge of motivational coaching and interview skills;
Knowledge of VCSE and community services in the locality;
Awareness of GDPR;
Awareness of Safeguarding Children & Adults.
For more information and to apply, click 'Apply Here'.
