Social Prescriber Link Worker

These are innovative roles to develop social prescribing in the local NHS. Based in one of the six Primary Care Networks (PCN) you will work in different GP practices across that Network to deliver their specific priorities. You will join a team of ten Social Prescribing Link Workers working in Haringey PCNs and be part of a wider community-based Borough team which offers information, signposting and short-term support across the eight localities in Haringey.

Social prescribing empowers people to take control of their health and wellbeing through referral to non-medical Social Prescribing Link Workers, 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.

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. 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.

At the centre of the social prescribing process is the Social Prescribing Link Worker, working with GP Practices in a Primary Care Network, who connects patients who are referred to a range of activities and services in the local area depending on their needs, interests and capacity for engagement. This is a complex role as the SPLW will need to have good interpersonal skills to engage with the patient and have a comprehensive knowledge of the services and activities available in the local area.