Location
Highams Park

Hours
Full Time (hours not specified)

Salary
£35,763 per annum

About the Role
Working under the direct supervision of a GP, you will take referrals from a wide range of agencies including primary care networks, community health teams, hospital discharge teams, social care services, housing agencies, employment organisations and the voluntary & community sector (VCS). You will provide personalised support to individuals, families and carers, helping them to take control of their well-being to live more independently and improve their health outcomes as key members of the Primary Care Network multi-disciplinary team.

You will develop trusting relationships by giving people time and focusing on what matters to them, using a holistic approach based on individual aspirations and goals and their wider determinants of health. You will co-produce personalised support packages to improve health and wellbeing, introducing or reconnecting people to community groups and statutory services. Managing a caseload and prioritising based on competing demands and client needs will be part of your role.

You will draw on and increase the strengths and capacities of local communities by enabling VCS organisations and community groups to receive referrals, ensuring they have basic safeguarding processes in place for vulnerable individuals. This supports people to develop friendships, a sense of belonging, and increase knowledge, skills and confidence.

Alongside other Primary Care Network multi-disciplinary team members, you will work collaboratively with local partners to support local VCS organisations and community groups to become sustainable and nurture community assets. This may include making group leaders aware of opportunities for small grants or micro-commissioning and helping to set up new community groups and services where gaps in local provision are identified.

You will also educate non-clinical and clinical staff within your Primary Care Network multi-disciplinary teams about available community services and how and when patients can access them, providing verbal or written advice and guidance.

Key Tasks
Promote social prescribing and its role in facilitating self-management and improving outcomes by addressing wider determinants of health. Build relationships with key stakeholders and workers in other well-being pathways within the PCN. Attend relevant multi-disciplinary team meetings and provide information and feedback on social prescribing and other wellbeing-related services.

Develop strong links with local agencies, encouraging referrals by providing a high-quality and responsive service to referring practitioners. Work in partnership with local agencies to raise awareness of how social prescribing and other well-being pathways can reduce pressure on statutory services and enable a holistic approach to care.

Provide advice and training on how to access information about support-related services and make appropriate referrals. Seek feedback from referring agencies about service quality and impact. Encourage referrals from communities that statutory agencies find hard to reach.

Experience
Experience working within health, social care or community settings is desirable but not explicitly required. Ability to work with a diverse range of agencies and manage a caseload effectively is important.

About you
You are empathetic, patient and able to build trusting relationships. You have excellent communication and interpersonal skills and are committed to working collaboratively within multi-disciplinary teams. You are proactive in engaging with community groups and agencies and have a passion for improving health and wellbeing outcomes.

You are organised and able to prioritise competing demands while managing a caseload. You are confident in educating others about community services and pathways and can provide clear advice and guidance.

Qualifications
Relevant qualifications or experience in health, social care, community development or a related field would be advantageous but are not explicitly stated as mandatory.