Social Prescribing Link Worker

This is an exciting opportunity to join the Western Dales Primary Care Network as a Social Prescribing Link Worker, working directly with patients and helping to make a meaningful difference to their health, wellbeing and everyday lives. Working across our communities in Sedbergh, Bentham and Kirkby Lonsdale, you will support people to explore what matters most to them, identify the challenges affecting their health and wellbeing, and connect them with the right support, opportunities and services. Social prescribing is about seeing the whole person, not simply their health condition. You will have the time to listen, build trusted relationships and work alongside patients to identify their goals, build confidence and independence, and help them make positive and sustainable changes in their lives. You will become part of our established personalised care team, working alongside other Social Prescribing Link Workers, Care Coordinators and Health and Wellbeing Coaches, as well as colleagues across our GP practices and wider community. This is a varied and rewarding role for someone who enjoys working with people, building relationships and finding practical and creative ways to help. No two days will be the same, and the work you do has the potential to make a genuine difference to people living across the Western Dales., The Social Prescribing Link Worker will work proactively with patients, GP practices, multidisciplinary teams and community organisations to provide personalised, practical and compassionate support. Key responsibilities will include:

• Take referrals from clinicians and multi-disciplinary teams, and work closely with other PCN team colleagues to triage those patients and allocate to the most appropriate person
• Discuss the persons needs with them, based on guidance from the referrer, and identify a range of options that could assist the person to improve their independence and health and wellbeing
• Strengthen community and personal resilience, focusing on what matters to me and taking a holistic approach with each individual case
• Co-produce a simple personalised care and support plan to improve health and wellbeing introducing or reconnecting people to community groups and statutory services
• Manage and prioritise own caseload, in accordance with the needs
• Have a strong awareness and understanding of when it is appropriate or necessary to refer people back to other health professionals/agencies, when the persons needs are beyond the scope of the link worker role e.g. when there is a need requiring a qualified practitioner
• Identify new, and work in partnership with voluntary and statutory organisations.
  
  Western Dales Primary Care Network is a collaboration of three practices; Bentham Medical Practice, Lunesdale Surgery and Sedbergh Medical Practice with a combined population upwards of 20,000.