This job description is a template. It should be used as a guide and edited according to the specific needs of the practice and the duties required of the post. The role described is equivalent to Band 5.

Job title:	Social Prescriber
Band:	[NHS Agenda for Change Band 5]
Hours:	[number of hours]
Salary:	[salary, or reference to range within pay grade]
Reporting to:	Senior Social Prescriber (in the absence of the Senior Social Prescriber, the Social Prescriber will report to the partners) In non-clinical matters, the Social Prescriber will report to the Practice Manager
Line management of:	[include reports]

 

Job summary and scope

Social prescribing empowers people to take control of their health and wellbeing through referral to non-medical ‘link workers’ who can give patients more time to 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 link workers should help support existing groups to be accessible and sustainable and help people to start new community groups, working collaboratively with all local partners.

Social prescribing can help to strengthen community resilience 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.  Particular emphasis should be on working with people with long-term conditions (including support for mental health) and those who are lonely or isolated, or have complex social needs that impact on their wellbeing.

Social prescribing link workers will have a key role in supporting delivery of the Comprehensive Model of Personalised Care.

 

 Key responsibilities

1. Take referrals from GPs and a wide range of agencies including hospital discharge teams, the police, Social Services, Housing associations and allied health professionals.

2. Develop knowledge of local services to enable the patient to access services to meet their needs. 

3. Ensure individuals become engaged and connected with their local community and other organisations to make best use of resources.

4. Assess how a patient’s health and wellbeing needs can be met by services and other opportunities that are available in the community.

5. Keep records of all patient contacts showing a  personalised care plan to address the patient’s health and wellbeing needs. 

6. Provide personalised support to individuals, their families and carers to take control of their health and wellbeing, live independently and improve their health outcomes. 

7. Develop trusting relationships by giving people time and focus on ‘what matters to them’.

8. Take a holistic approach based on the priorities of the individual

9. Prioritise own caseload in accordance with the health and wellbeing needs of their population and refer people back to other health professionals where necessary.

10. Work within the community to enable local voluntary, community and social enterprise organisations and community groups to receive social prescribing referrals from them.

11. Inform and advise GPs and primary care staff, either written or verbally, about what services are available within the community and how and when patients can access them. 

12. Attend practice, locality, PCN and Community meetings. 

13. Provide learning opportunities for the whole multi-disciplinary team (MDT) within primary care. 

14. Demonstrate understanding of the process for effective resource utilisation.

15. Perform other duties as required, within the scope of competencies and training.

 

Personal and professional development

 

1. Be professionally and legally accountable for all aspects of own work 

2. Undertake evaluation of your work and current practices through the use of evidence based practice, audit and outcome measures. 

3. To keep up to date with national developments, analysing current research and discussing and implementing changes in your practice accordingly. 

4. Act as a mentor and positive role model to students and more junior members of staff, sharing information and good practice

5. Prioritise own workload and collaborate effectively with others to prioritise team and practice workload

6. Undertake training as required to ensure competencies for delivering all responsibilities, including attending and contributing to in-house training

7. Maintaining Personal Development and CPD plans and records of learning, clinical supervision, appraisals of more junior staff, feedback on performance 

8. Undertake regular mandatory training, such as relating to emergency life support, manual lifting and handling, safeguarding vulnerable patients, child protection, etc

 

Other important aspects of the role

Maintaining confidentiality

The Practice Social Prescriber will, as an integral part of and in the course of carrying out his/her role, have access to confidential and sometimes sensitive information relating to patients, carers and family members, as well as similar information about colleagues. The practice physiotherapist might also have access to confidential commercial information about the practice and its business.

All such information in whatever format and howsoever made available must be treated with strictest confidence. All such information held both within and outside of the practice will be shared only as necessary, and in accordance with practice’s confidentiality/data sharing policies, and in line with data protection legislation and the Freedom of Information Act.

Equality and diversity

The Practice Social Prescriber will comply with the practice’s own equality and diversity policy, and legislation relating to equality and diversity, including (but not limited to):

• Recognising the rights of patients, carers, family members and colleagues, and respecting their needs, beliefs, privacy and dignity
• Not discriminating against patients, carers, family members or colleagues on the grounds of any of the protected characteristics in the Equality Act 2010 (or its amendments or later legislation)
• Supporting people who need help to understand and exercise their rights
• Act as a role model in relation to promoting equality, diversity and non-discriminatory practices
• Identify discriminatory practices and patterns of discrimination, taking appropriate action to tackle it and instead promote equality
• Comply with, promote and evaluate chaperoning policies where applicable
• Recognise and promote the right of patients to choose their care provider, and to participate in or refuse care.

 

Key relationships and contacts

Internal	External
GPs Partners Lead practice nurse Practice nurse Healthcare assistants Clinical staff in training Practice manager Reception and administration staff Other employed professions	Patients Patients’ carers and family members Community groups Public Health Teams Housing associations Local council Locality/PCN managers Other healthcare professionals, including dieticians, social care teams, dentists, optometrists, secondary care specialists