7 Social Prescribing Link Workers (SPLW) and a Health and Wellbeing Coach (HWC) are needed to complete our successful team.

Permanent contract – Full time 35 hours per week.

Social Prescribing Link Worker

You will be employed by Brent Mencap and work with Brent GP practices to support patients with social issues impacting their health and well-being and providing them with advice, support and directing them to the right services in Brent. Examples of patients SPLWs work with include those who have issues with their housing, welfare benefits, employment, mental health and those who are socially isolated.

The SPLWs work in a Primary Care Networks (PCN) and they are based in GP practices supporting patients referred for non clinical needs. Often patients come to the GP practices seeking help for social issues such as social isolation, loneliness, problems with their housing or benefits, unemployment etc. Social prescribing is a way of referring patients to different support services in the community, in order to improve their health and wellbeing. This is a new role in Brent but has been successfully working in other areas across the country. It is a part of the NHS Long-Term Plan’s. For more information about Social Prescribing visit the below links:

https://www.healthylondon.org/resource/what-is-social-prescribing/ 

https://www.england.nhs.uk/personalisedcare/social-prescribing/

The SPLW will build trusting relationships with people, create a shared personalised care and support plan and connect them to local, diverse and culturally appropriate community groups, organisations, and services.

The SPLWs are usually based in GP practices and see patients in the surgery however, since Covid 19 outbreak the team have been working remotely from home and supporting patients through telephone service. We will be going back to the GP surgeries after risk assessments have been carried out and it is safe to do so. The same applied to the HWC.

To download the Social Prescribing Link Worker Job Description click here.

Click here to download the application form.

Health and Well-being Coach 

You will be employed by Brent Mencap and work with Brent NHS. The following outlines the key responsibilities of a Health and Wellbeing Coach:

To promote and facilitate the development of a person-centered approach to behavioral and lifestyle change. Act as a guide to patients in addressing health issues and the need to improve health. Develop collaborative relationships and work in partnership with health, social care, and community and voluntary sector providers and multidisciplinary teams to holistically support patients’ wider health and wellbeing, public health, and contributing to the reduction of health inequalities.

Click here to download the  Job Description.

Click here to download the application form.

For both the SPLW and CN role you must be a good listener, have time for people and be committed to supporting local communities to care for each other. You will have great interpersonal skills in supporting people. The post holder will work with a diverse range of people from different cultural and social backgrounds. The ability to work confidently and effectively in a diverse, and sometimes challenging environment is essential.

As a SPLW / HWC you will:

• Support patients in a person-centered way.
• Work alongside GPs and other health professionals to support patients who have non-medical needs.
• Provide Information and advice to patients and direct them to the right services.
• Provide personalised support to individuals, their families, and carers.
• Assisting patients to engage with community-based services, groups, and activities.
• Supporting patients to take control of their well-being, live independently, and improve their health outcomes.
• Supporting patients to develop personalised and manageable goals and aid decision making for them.
• Developing trusting relationships by giving patients time to focus on what matters to them.
• Introduce self-care and self-management to patients.
• Use the Patient Activation Measure (PAM) questionnaire to assess patients and improve their PAM level (confidence, skills and knowledge) so they can better manage their health.
• Reduce social isolation and help patients access community services.

Training will be provided and you will have access to our Directory of services to help you direct patients to the right services.

Closing Date for applications: 10 am Monday 30th November 2020.

Interviews to be held on: Tuesday 8th December 2020 and Wednesday 9th December at Brent Mencap office in Willesden.

As part of our Safer Recruiting Process we do not accept CVs only. You will have to complete our application form. Once completed send this to m.bakhashz@nhs.net

COVID-19 considerations:

During covid we have stopped all face to face appointments. We have been working remotely from home and carrying out a service through telephone contact. Once we go back into GP practices risk assessments will be done and safety measures will be in place.