To deliver social prescribing in Arbroath taking additional responsibility for connecting with wider VAA Locality
workers, third sector and strategic partner opportunities, and connecting GP practices with community based
opportunities which help improve well-being.
Key Responsibilities:
The role will involve supporting personal options and choice for patients to help improve well-being , referring
patients to comprehensive social care services, taking referrals and ensuring that you target groups and
communities most in need and helping them to live a healthier, happier life. This is a very stimulating role
that will allow you to work with a wide range of people such as GP’s Statutory partners such as Health and
Social Care Partnership (HSCP), Community Planning Partnership (CPP) and voluntary organisations and will also
include patients with:
- one or more long-term conditions
- In need of support with improving mental well being
- who may
endure loneliness or isolation
- experience poverty and inequalities which may be a determinant to poor
health.
- Have concerns about drug and alcohol issues.
- who have complex social needs which affect
their well-being
Person Specification
Personal Qualities and Attributes
- Ability to actively listen, empathise with people and provider person-centred support in a non-judgmental
way.
- Ability to provide a culturally sensitive service, supporting people from all backgrounds and
communities, respecting lifestyles and diversity.
- Commitment to reducing health inequalities and
proactively working to reach people from diverse communities
- Ability to communicate effectively and
clearly, verbally in writing, with people, their families, carers, community groups, partner agencies, and
stakeholders.
- Ability to identify risk and assess/manage risk when working with
individuals.
- Have a strong awareness and understanding of when it is appropriate or necessary to refer
peopleback to other health professionals/agencies. Be aware of when the person’s needs are beyond thescope of
the link worker role. E.g. when there is a need for a qualified health practitioner’s input.
- Ability to
work from an asset-based approach building on existing community and personal assets.
- Ability to develop
and maintain effective working relationships and promote collaborative practice with all
colleagues.
- Commitment to collaborative working with all local agencies (including VCSE organisations
and community groups). Able to work with others to reduce hierarchies and find creative solutions to community
issues.
- Can demonstrate personal accountability, emotional resilience and ability to work well under
pressure.
- Ability to organise, plan and prioritise on own initiative (including when under pressure and
meeting deadlines).
- High level of written and verbal communication skills.
- Ability to work
flexibly and enthusiastically within a team or on own initiative.
- Understanding the needs of small
volunteer-led community groups and an ability to support their development.
- Ability to provide
motivational coaching to support people’s behavior change.
- Knowledge, and ability to work to, policies
and procedures including confidentiality, safeguarding, long working, information governance and health and
safety.
Qualifications
- Demonstrable commitment to professional personal development
- Training in motivational coaching and
interviewing or equivalent experience
- Experience of working in a community development context, adult
health and social care, learning support or public health /health improvement (including unpaid
work.
- Experience of supporting people, their families and carers in a related role (including unpaid
work).
- Experience of supporting their mental health, within a paid or unpaid informal
capacity.
- Experience of working with the VCSE sector in paid or unpaid capacity including with
volunteers or small groups.
- Experience of data collection and using tools to measure the impact of
services.
- Experience of partnership /collaborative working and of building relationships across a
variety of organisations.
- Knowledge of personalised care approach
- Understanding of the wider
determinants of health, including social, economic and environmental factors and their impact on communities,
individuals, their families and carers.
- Knowledge of community development
approaches
- Understanding of, and commitment to, equality, diversity and inclusion.
- Knowledge of
I.T. systems, including ability to use word-processing skills, email and internet to create simple plans and
reports (eg word, powerpoint, excel).
- Knowledge pf VCSE and community services in the
locality.
- Knowledge of the HHS workings including Primary Care.
Other
• Is PVG Scheme Registered
- Willingness to work flexible hours when required to meet work demands
- Access to own transport and an
ability to travel across the locality on a regular basis including to visit people in their own
homes.
Operational Development and Duties
- To devise and implement an effective pathway for patients, addressing their holistic and non-medical needs.
Principally, this will be devised with VAA locality workers, locality locator and other partners.
- To
ensure that a process of ‘soft handover’ is completed with each patient including an initial assessment that
includes:
- Risk assessment
- An agreed action plan, assisting and encouraging clients to make their
own decisions and choices.
- Conducting reviews with patients to ensure useful and sustainable benefits
have been achieved.
- To develop and promote Social Prescribing and wider community involvement
and participation in the Social Prescribing Project.
- To process and update monitoring information for
clients including updating the Locality Locator.
- To produce monthly and quarterly reports in line with
contractual agreements through VAA’s Appraisd system.
- To ensure that end-of-programme evaluations and
reports are produced as required for internal and external purposes where appropriate.
- To participate in
training, learning and development as determined by the line manager and SP steering group.
- To market
and represent the SP Project widely at all levels to ensure maximum awareness of the service.
Other Duties
- To ensure adherence to, and implementation of, all relevant legislation and VAA and GP practices
policies.
- To participate in ongoing supervision and appraisals including relevant VAA internal reporting
systems.
- To attend meetings of the Health Centres in Angus and participate in MDT activity as
required.
- To create and maintain good working relations with HSCI members, staff, colleagues and
clients.
- To operate Health and Safety at Work procedures.
- To carry out any other reasonable
duties required by the VAA Manager.
- To provide details of outcome activity to partners including the
(LIG)
This job description will be subject to review in light of changing circumstances and may include any other duties
and responsibilities as may be determined in consultation with the jobholder. It is not intended to be rigid or
inflexible but should be regarded as providing guidelines within which the individual works.
Please Note: The interview panel reserves the right to enhance desirable criteria at shortlisting stage depending on
the number of applications received.
To request an application pack please contact katrina@voluntaryactionangus.org.uk