NHS

PCN Social Prescribing Link Worker


Pay23,874.00 - 26,682.00 / year
LocationPeterborough/England
Employment typeFull-Time

This job is now closed

  • Job Description

      Req#: A3007-25-0063?language=en&page=703&sort=publicationDateDesc

      Job summary

      An exciting opportunity has arisen to recruit an additional Social Prescriber within the South Peterborough Primary Care Network (SPPCN). This role will play a critical function in supporting the PCN to successfully implement a high-profile project focused on improving patient care and outcomes. We are seeking dedicated individuals to join our team and provide exceptional Social Prescribing services to our patients.

      Social Prescribing Link Workers give patients time to focus on what matters to them. They are responsible for connecting people within their communities to groups and statutory services that provide emotional and practical support.

      Social Prescribing Link Workers will support and aid patients with varying needs, such as those living with long term conditions, those who have a low mood or are isolated, and/or those with complex social needs. The role of the link worker is to provide support to these patients to navigate their needs to improve their health, wellbeing and reduce feelings of isolation with the aim to support patients to integrate in their communities.

      As part of the NHS Long-Term Plan to drive Universal Personalised Care, it is aimed to benefit 2.5 millions people by March 2024. Social Prescribing is a key component to this.

      Main duties of the job

      As a member of the PCN Personalised Care Team, the post holder will work alongside other Social Prescribing Link Workers, Health & Wellbeing Coaches and Care Coordinators within the PCN and wider business group to provide a service that focuses on What Matters To Me for each patients who requires this level of practical or emotional support. An interest in participating in the creation of new services or implementing new ideas, that will benefit local people, is essential.

      You will work with patients to provide to support and empower them to take control of their own health and wellbeing. You will work in collaboration with health care professionals, local community groups, statutory groups, and voluntary services to help patients gain access to resources that will help them with debt, poor housing, physical inactivity, and befriending services. You will be a key contact for patients and will enable them to feel the support from their wider community. The post holder will need to have full understanding that each patient that they encounter will be unique, and their needs will require a dynamic approach.

      The successful candidate will be required to have an innate ability to communicate effectively to provide support and empower patients to find their voice. Working across a scope of professionals, you will need to understand the importance of relaying information whilst maintaining confidentiality.

      About us

      Lakeside Healthcare is a large GP partnership that provides NHS care for around 170,000 patients across Cambridgeshire, Peterborough, Northamptonshire and Lincolnshire. We are made of eight GP practices across 14 sites that are part of their local communities.

      We work together as practices to provide resilience, sharing learning and professional back-office support services.

      Our most important asset is our people, who provide care for our patients and help run our surgeries smoothly. We employ over 500 clinical and non-clinical staff, and we invest in training and developing to ensure that we retain and attract good quality staff who want to stay with us and be part of our team.

      We are proud of what we do and strive to demonstrate our values of Caring, Respect, Quality and Teamwork in everything we do.

      About the Practice/Department/Team

      PCNs were introduced in July 2020, as part of the NHS Long Term Plan, to encourage more collaborative and joint up thinking working across GP surgeries with its local communities, providing additional services and programmes to support population health. Since inception, the scope and role of a Primary Care Network is ever evolving, with new initiatives and services being introduced frequently.

      This role will be based within the South Peterborough PCN, spanning across the geography of New Queen Street, Old Fletton, Wansford and Yaxley surgeries.

      Date posted

      10 April 2025

      Pay scheme

      Other

      Salary

      £23,874 to £26,682 a year

      Contract

      Permanent

      Working pattern

      Full-time

      Reference number

      A3007-25-0063

      Job locations

      Lakeside Healthcare

      Landsdowne Road

      Yaxley

      Peterborough

      PE7 3JL


      The New Queen Street Surgery

      Syers Lane

      Whittlesey

      Peterborough

      PE7 1AT


      Job description

      Job responsibilities

      Lakeside Healthcare are looking to employ Community Link Workers (Social Prescribing) to assist in the provision of care for patients within our Primary Care Network (PCN).

      The PCNs vision is to work together to deliver the best possible outcomes for our patients and staff. You will work in close partnership with our member practice teams as well as health, statutory and voluntary groups to create effective help and support for those that need it whilst being a key point of contact to enable patients to be supported within their local community.

      Empowering people to take control of their health and wellbeing through GP referral to non-medical Community Link Workers (CLWs) based in GP surgeries 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. Community Link Workers work collaboratively with all local partners.

      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 peoples active involvement with their local communities. It particularly works 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.

      In this role, you will be responsible for managing and coordinating care services, collaborating with multidisciplinary teams, and implementing processes to improve health outcomes for specific populations. You will play a crucial role in the success of our population health project and contribute to enhancing the overall well-being of our community.

      Key responsibilities and tasks

      You will:

      • Support and contribute to the population health project.
      • Support project delivery to ensure the successful execution of population health initiatives.
      • Maintain accurate and up-to-date records of patient interactions, interventions, and outcomes, and generate reports to monitor project progress and outcomes.
      • Stay informed about the latest developments in population health and apply this knowledge to improve project effectiveness.

      • Liaise and engage with member practices to ensure Community Link Workers (SPLWs) are valued and effective members of the PCN team.
      • Establish and maintain effective liaison with stakeholders including health, voluntary, social, financial and education resources
      • Work in partnership with local voluntary and community organisation to build a comprehensive directory of local resource to design and support social prescribing
      • Ensure information on local voluntary and community resource is always up to date to enable effective and accurate signposting and linking of patients with services
      • Train and develop wider practice teams to improve SPLW referral suitability and effectiveness
      • Establish and maintain comprehensive data and evaluation systems
      • Produce quarterly reports in relation to service delivery and progress
      • Partake in audit as directed by the PCN Clinical Director
      • Take referrals from and make referrals to a wide range of appropriate agencies
      • Ensure the social prescribing function within the PCN is successful and delivers the required service in line with NSHE guidelines
      • Co-produce personalised support plans with individuals, their families and carers that help them take control of their wellbeing, live independently and improve their health outcomes
      • Take a holistic approach, based on the persons priorities and the wider determinants of health
      • When appropriate, refer patients back to other health professionals/agencies, if their requirements exceed the scope of a SPLW
      • Ensure all relevant groups and organisations maintain basic procedures that include the consideration of vulnerable individuals and safeguarding concerns
      • Work collectively with all local partners to ensure community groups are strong and sustainable
      • Work with commissioners and local partners to identify unmet needs within the community and gaps in community provision and support development of new groups and services where needed, and thereby influence the development of services that will benefit this target population and tackle health and neighbourhood inequalities
      • Work sensitively with people, their families and carers to capture key information, enable tracking of the impact of social prescribing on their health and wellbeing
      • Provide one-to-one consultations (mindful of the organisations lone working policy), giving patients time to tell their stories and focus on what matters to me
      • Work with the person, their families and carers and consider how they can all be supported through social prescribing
      • Work with other link workers to create a wider team understanding of the service that can be offered to patients and opportunities for further improvement of the offer and patient outcomes

      Job description

      Job responsibilities

      Lakeside Healthcare are looking to employ Community Link Workers (Social Prescribing) to assist in the provision of care for patients within our Primary Care Network (PCN).

      The PCNs vision is to work together to deliver the best possible outcomes for our patients and staff. You will work in close partnership with our member practice teams as well as health, statutory and voluntary groups to create effective help and support for those that need it whilst being a key point of contact to enable patients to be supported within their local community.

      Empowering people to take control of their health and wellbeing through GP referral to non-medical Community Link Workers (CLWs) based in GP surgeries 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. Community Link Workers work collaboratively with all local partners.

      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 peoples active involvement with their local communities. It particularly works 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.

      In this role, you will be responsible for managing and coordinating care services, collaborating with multidisciplinary teams, and implementing processes to improve health outcomes for specific populations. You will play a crucial role in the success of our population health project and contribute to enhancing the overall well-being of our community.

      Key responsibilities and tasks

      You will:

      • Support and contribute to the population health project.
      • Support project delivery to ensure the successful execution of population health initiatives.
      • Maintain accurate and up-to-date records of patient interactions, interventions, and outcomes, and generate reports to monitor project progress and outcomes.
      • Stay informed about the latest developments in population health and apply this knowledge to improve project effectiveness.

      • Liaise and engage with member practices to ensure Community Link Workers (SPLWs) are valued and effective members of the PCN team.
      • Establish and maintain effective liaison with stakeholders including health, voluntary, social, financial and education resources
      • Work in partnership with local voluntary and community organisation to build a comprehensive directory of local resource to design and support social prescribing
      • Ensure information on local voluntary and community resource is always up to date to enable effective and accurate signposting and linking of patients with services
      • Train and develop wider practice teams to improve SPLW referral suitability and effectiveness
      • Establish and maintain comprehensive data and evaluation systems
      • Produce quarterly reports in relation to service delivery and progress
      • Partake in audit as directed by the PCN Clinical Director
      • Take referrals from and make referrals to a wide range of appropriate agencies
      • Ensure the social prescribing function within the PCN is successful and delivers the required service in line with NSHE guidelines
      • Co-produce personalised support plans with individuals, their families and carers that help them take control of their wellbeing, live independently and improve their health outcomes
      • Take a holistic approach, based on the persons priorities and the wider determinants of health
      • When appropriate, refer patients back to other health professionals/agencies, if their requirements exceed the scope of a SPLW
      • Ensure all relevant groups and organisations maintain basic procedures that include the consideration of vulnerable individuals and safeguarding concerns
      • Work collectively with all local partners to ensure community groups are strong and sustainable
      • Work with commissioners and local partners to identify unmet needs within the community and gaps in community provision and support development of new groups and services where needed, and thereby influence the development of services that will benefit this target population and tackle health and neighbourhood inequalities
      • Work sensitively with people, their families and carers to capture key information, enable tracking of the impact of social prescribing on their health and wellbeing
      • Provide one-to-one consultations (mindful of the organisations lone working policy), giving patients time to tell their stories and focus on what matters to me
      • Work with the person, their families and carers and consider how they can all be supported through social prescribing
      • Work with other link workers to create a wider team understanding of the service that can be offered to patients and opportunities for further improvement of the offer and patient outcomes

      Person Specification

      Qualifications

      Essential

      • NVQ Level 3, Advanced level or equivalent qualifications or working towards

      Experience

      Essential

      • Experience of working with the general public, Experience of working in a healthcare setting or in the leisure industry/public/voluntary sector, Experience of delivering lifestyle changes interventions,

      Desirable

      • Experience working within a SPLW role, Experience of working with vulnerable people, Experience of working as a health advisor/trainer
      Person Specification

      Qualifications

      Essential

      • NVQ Level 3, Advanced level or equivalent qualifications or working towards

      Experience

      Essential

      • Experience of working with the general public, Experience of working in a healthcare setting or in the leisure industry/public/voluntary sector, Experience of delivering lifestyle changes interventions,

      Desirable

      • Experience working within a SPLW role, Experience of working with vulnerable people, Experience of working as a health advisor/trainer

      Disclosure and Barring Service Check

      This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

      Employer details

      Employer name

      Lakeside Healthcare Group

      Address

      Lakeside Healthcare

      Landsdowne Road

      Yaxley

      Peterborough

      PE7 3JL


      Employer's website

      https://www.lakesidehealthcaregroup.co.uk (Opens in a new tab)

      Employer details

      Employer name

      Lakeside Healthcare Group

      Address

      Lakeside Healthcare

      Landsdowne Road

      Yaxley

      Peterborough

      PE7 3JL


      Employer's website

      https://www.lakesidehealthcaregroup.co.uk (Opens in a new tab)

  • About the company

      National Health Service (NHS) is the umbrella term for the publicly-funded healthcare systems of the United Kingdom (UK). The founding principles were that services should be comprehensive, universal and free at the point of delivery—a health service based on clinical need, not ability to pay. Each service provides a comprehensive range of health services, free at the point of use for people ordinarily resident in the United Kingdom apart from dental treatment and optical care.