Social Prescribing Link Worker
| Posting date: | 16 March 2026 |
|---|---|
| Salary: | £27,485.00 to £30,162.00 per year |
| Additional salary information: | £27485.00 - £30162.00 a year |
| Hours: | Full time |
| Closing date: | 31 March 2026 |
| Location: | County Durham, DH9 8AD |
| Company: | NHS Jobs |
| Job type: | Permanent |
| Job reference: | A5688-26-0001 |
Summary
Key Duties & Responsibilities Provide personalised support to individuals, their families and carers to take control of their wellbeing, live independently and improve their health outcomes. Develop trusting relationships by giving people time and focus on what matters to me. Take a holistic approach, based on the persons priorities and the wider determinants of health. Co-produce a personalised support plan to improve health and wellbeing, introducing or reconnecting people to community group and statutory services. The role will require managing and prioritising your own caseload, in accordance with the needs, priorities and any urgent support required by individuals on the caseload. It is vital that you have a strong awareness and understanding of when it is appropriate or necessary to refer people back to other health professionals/agencies, when what the person needs is beyond the scope of the link worker role e.g. when there is a mental health need requiring a qualified practitioner. Referrals 1. Promoting social prescribing, its role in self-management, and the wider determinants of health. 2. Build relationships with key staff in within the practice, attending relevant meetings, becoming part of the wider network team, giving information and feedback on social prescribing. 3. Be proactive in developing strong links with all local agencies to encourage referrals, recognising what they need to be confident in the service to make appropriate referrals. 4. Work in partnership with all local agencies to raise awareness of social prescribing and how partnership working can reduce pressure on statutory services, improve health outcomes and enable a holistic approach to care. 5. Provide colleagues with regular updates about social prescribing, including training staff and providing information on how to access information to encourage appropriate referrals. 6. Seek regular feedback about the quality of service and impact of social prescribing. Provide personalised support 1. Meet people on a one-to-one basis, making home visits where appropriate within organisations policies and procedures. Give people time to tell their stories and focus on what matters to me. Build trust with the person, providing non- judgemental support, respecting diversity and lifestyle choices. Work from a strength-based approach focusing on a persons assets. 2. Be a friendly source of information about wellbeing and prevention approaches. 3. Help people identify the wider issues that impact on their health and wellbeing, such as debt, poor housing, being unemployed, loneliness and caring responsibilities. 4. Proactively identify vulnerable and at risk patients who may benefit from personalised support. 5. Work with the person, their families and carers and consider how they can all be supported through social prescribing. 6. Help people maintain or regain independence through living skills, adaptations, enablement approaches and simple safeguards. 7. Work with individuals to co-produce a simple personalised support plan based on the persons priorities, interests, values and motivations including what they can expect from the groups, activities and services they are being connected to and what the person can do for themselves to improve their health and wellbeing. 8. Where appropriate, physically introduce people to community groups, activities and statutory services, ensuring they are comfortable. Follow up to ensure they are happy, able to engage, included and receiving good support. 9. Where people may be eligible for a personal health budget, help them to explore this option as a way of providing funded, personalised support to be independent, including helping people to gain skills for meaningful employment, where appropriate. 10. Forge strong links with local VCSE organisations, community and neighbourhood level groups, utilising their networks and building on whats already available to create a map or menu of community groups and assets. 11. Develop supportive relationships with local VCSE organisations, community groups and statutory services, to make timely, appropriate and supported referrals for the person being introduced. 12. Ensure that local community groups and VCSE organisations being referred to have basic procedures in place for ensuring that vulnerable individuals are safe and, where there are safeguarding concerns, work with all partners to deal appropriately with issues. Where such policies and procedures are not in place, support groups to work towards this standard before referrals are made to them. 13. Check that community groups and VCSE organisations meet in insured premises and that health and safety requirements are in place. Where such policies and procedures are not in place, support groups to work towards this standard before referrals are made to them. 14. Support local groups to act in accordance with information governance policies and procedures, ensuring compliance with the Data Protection Act. 15. Work with commissioners and local partners to identify unmet needs within the community and gaps in community provision.