Social Prescriber

We are looking to recruit a new Social Prescriber to join our Barnsley PCN. The successful candidate will be based across the Barnsley Borough.

The main purpose of this post is to deliver a Social Prescribing Service to the patients within the Barnsley Primary Care Network. Our Social Prescribers will focus on specific areas of need and specific patient cohorts in supporting patients of all areas.

The post holder will work with the Practices within the PCN and additional services to support patients by providing a patient centred assessment with the aim of addressing all issues that are affecting the health and wellbeing. The post holder will ensure Social Prescribing empowers individuals by connecting them to other people, community groups and statutory services that take decisive action to reach positive outcomes.

Social Prescribing has an important role to play in strengthening personal resilience by addressing the wider determinants of health, such as debt, poor housing and physical activity and by increasing peoples active involvement with their local communities. It can have a significant benefit 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. This role will cover all age groups, to include Children, Adults, Families and Carers.

Main duties of the job

Assess how far a patients health and wellbeing needs can be met by services and other opportunities available in the community.

Co-produce a simple personalised care and support plan to address the patients health and wellbeing needs by introducing or reconnecting people to community groups and statutory services.

Evaluate how far the actions in the care and support plan are meeting the individuals health and wellbeing needs.

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

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

Take a holistic approach, based on the persons priorities, and the wider determinants of health.

Promoting social prescribing and its role in self-management.

Help to develop the knowledge on how to identify individuals suitable for a social prescribing referral.

Build relationships with key staff across the PCN and Neighbourhood teams, attending relevant meetings and becoming part of the wider network team.

Barnsley Primary Care Network:

Barnsley has established one super Primary Care Network (PCN) of over 250,000 patients which includes all of GP practices across Barnsley. This is supported by six Neighbourhood Networks building on our successful and existing model of neighbourhood working; this enables us to maintain and focus on the specific needs of each local area whilst allowing integration at a borough wide level.