• Job Description

  Req#: A0918-25-0005?language=en&page=592&sort=publicationDateDesc

  Job summary

  The NHS Long Term Plan describes the prominent role Primary Care Networks (PCNs) will play in delivering proactive, personalised and integrated health and social care for their local populations. Social prescribing forms part of this drive towards collaborative and holistic support. It empowers people to take control of their health and wellbeing through referral to link workers who give time, focusing on what matters to them. This might include connecting people to organisations, community groups and statutory services for practical and emotional support.

  Social prescribing can help PCNs strengthen community and personal resilience and reduce health and wellbeing inequalities. It addresses the wider determinants of health such as debt, poor housing and physical inactivity, increasing peoples active involvement with their local communities. It particularly works for people with long-term conditions, mental health, for people who are lonely or isolated, or have complex social needs that affect their wellbeing.

  Our North Southwark PCN in 2025 is made up of all GP Practices in Bermondsey, Rotherhithe, Borough and Walworth, approximately 200,000 patients, supported by their GP Federation, Quay Health Solutions. We are seeking a Social Prescribing Link Worker to work across our network providing dedicated support to general practice and our local population.

  Should Quay Health Solutions receive a large capacity of applications, we may close this advert early.

  Main duties of the job

  1. Deliver personalised 1:1 support

  • Provide personalised support to patients with complex needs: this may include frailty, carers, long-term conditions, mental health & social issues
  • Take a holistic approach, based on the clients priorities & the wider determinants of health to make a personalised support plan together
  • Introduce or reconnect people to community groups & statutory services, for longer-term provision of support, as required

  2. Build relationships with Voluntary Community Sector (VCS) organisations & community groups supporting our local model of social prescribing

  • Draw on the strengths & capacities of our local communities, enabling local VCS organisations & community groups to receive social prescribing referrals
  • Work with the VCS to ensure the basic safeguarding processes for vulnerable individuals are in place & can provide opportunities for the client to develop friendships, a sense of belonging & to build knowledge, skills & confidence

  3. Set up, establish role, embed within & receive referrals from the Network/Neighbourhood

  • Establish connections & relationships with local health & care provider organisations to understand landscape, ethos, ways of working & how you will work with a multidisciplinary team
  • Build an understanding of local processes, referral pathways & reporting mechanisms to understand how your role can support communication of patient progress & outcomes across systems/providers

  Please see the attached job description for the full list of duties

  About us

  Fourteen practices in North Southwark have come together as Quay Health Solutions (QHS) Community Interest Company to jointly deliver services that improve outcomes for our 205k registered patients. As a GP Federation, QHS provides the building blocks for at scale service delivery and wider system integration through neighbourhoods that are the delivery units of North Southwark Primary Care Network (NSPCN) and our integrated Borough based system. These bring together local health and care organisations (including social care, the voluntary sector and patient groups) to work collaboratively to deliver more joined up, patient-centred services.

  QHS is also working with NHS Southwark ICS on a programme of development to support transformation of local health services. We are working collaboratively with providers and patients to co-produce solutions to the challenges we face and maximise the impact of our services on quality and outcomes of patient care.

  This role provides an exciting opportunity to make a meaningful impact on health equity in Southwark, working across primary care, Integrated Care Board (ICB) and Southwark Council public health.

  Quay Health Solutions does not hold a VISA Sponsorship Licence.

  Details

  Date posted

  16 May 2025

  Pay scheme

  Other

  Salary

  £27,000 a year

  Contract

  Permanent

  Working pattern

  Full-time, Flexible working

  Reference number

  A0918-25-0005

  Job locations

  Spa Medical Centre

  50 Old Jamaica Road

  London

  SE16 4BL

  
  

  Job description

  Job responsibilities

  Please see the attached job description for the full duties of the Social Prescribing Link Worker role.

  Job description

  Job responsibilities

  Please see the attached job description for the full duties of the Social Prescribing Link Worker role.

  Person Specification

  Experience

  Essential

  • -At least 2 years experience of providing one to one support to vulnerable people, including those with physical and mental health issues (including unpaid work).
  • -Experience of working closely with a wide range of stakeholders across organisations and sectors, especially with NHS/healthcare professionals.
  • -Experience working in an open, community setting/environment including outreach venues, in a highly flexible manner (including unpaid roles).
  • -Knowledge and/or experience of working with a variety of social issues, e.g., housing, benefits, carers etc.
  • -Experience of signposting to other organisations sensibly and practically, to ensure that patients are navigated through the system.

  Desirable

  • -Experience of delivering lifestyle changes interventions
  • -Experience of leading and developing service improvements with complex scope and tight timescales with minimal guidance.
  • -Experience of partnership/collaborative working and of building relationships across a variety of organisations.
  • -Experience of data collection and providing monitoring information to assess the impact of services and assist staff development.

  Skills, abilities and knowledge

  Essential

  • -Self-starter comfortable working autonomously in the community and feeding back to the necessary organisations as appropriate.
  • -Ability to problem-solve when researching the best potential options for support/services.
  • -Ability to work well in a team working with a variety of different service providers across the neighbourhood to contribute to social prescribing goals support and coaching other volunteers/navigators.
  • -Able to establish positive boundaries with patients.
  • -Understanding of the wider determinants of health, including social, economic and environmental factors and their impact on communities.
  • -Knowledge of community development approaches.
  • -Knowledge of IT systems including ability to use word processing tools, emails and the internet to create simple plans and reports.
  • -Ability to communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing.
  • -Willingness to work flexible hours when required, to meet work demands.
  • -Ability to travel across the locality on a regular basis, including visiting people in their own homes.

  Desirable

  • -Knowledge of the personalised care approaches.
  • -Knowledge of VCS and community services in the locality.

  Qualifications

  Essential

  • -Educated to minimum of NVQ Level 3, advanced level or equivalent qualifications or working towards
  • -Demonstrate commitment to professional and personal development of themselves and colleagues

  Desirable

  • -Training in motivational coaching and interviewing, or equivalent experience

  Person Specification

  Experience

  Essential

  • -At least 2 years experience of providing one to one support to vulnerable people, including those with physical and mental health issues (including unpaid work).
  • -Experience of working closely with a wide range of stakeholders across organisations and sectors, especially with NHS/healthcare professionals.
  • -Experience working in an open, community setting/environment including outreach venues, in a highly flexible manner (including unpaid roles).
  • -Knowledge and/or experience of working with a variety of social issues, e.g., housing, benefits, carers etc.
  • -Experience of signposting to other organisations sensibly and practically, to ensure that patients are navigated through the system.

  Desirable

  • -Experience of delivering lifestyle changes interventions
  • -Experience of leading and developing service improvements with complex scope and tight timescales with minimal guidance.
  • -Experience of partnership/collaborative working and of building relationships across a variety of organisations.
  • -Experience of data collection and providing monitoring information to assess the impact of services and assist staff development.

  Skills, abilities and knowledge

  Essential

  • -Self-starter comfortable working autonomously in the community and feeding back to the necessary organisations as appropriate.
  • -Ability to problem-solve when researching the best potential options for support/services.
  • -Ability to work well in a team working with a variety of different service providers across the neighbourhood to contribute to social prescribing goals support and coaching other volunteers/navigators.
  • -Able to establish positive boundaries with patients.
  • -Understanding of the wider determinants of health, including social, economic and environmental factors and their impact on communities.
  • -Knowledge of community development approaches.
  • -Knowledge of IT systems including ability to use word processing tools, emails and the internet to create simple plans and reports.
  • -Ability to communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing.
  • -Willingness to work flexible hours when required, to meet work demands.
  • -Ability to travel across the locality on a regular basis, including visiting people in their own homes.

  Desirable

  • -Knowledge of the personalised care approaches.
  • -Knowledge of VCS and community services in the locality.

  Qualifications

  Essential

  • -Educated to minimum of NVQ Level 3, advanced level or equivalent qualifications or working towards
  • -Demonstrate commitment to professional and personal development of themselves and colleagues

  Desirable

  • -Training in motivational coaching and interviewing, or equivalent experience

  Disclosure and Barring Service Check

  This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

  Employer details

  Employer name

  Quay Health Solutions CIC

  Address

  Spa Medical Centre

  50 Old Jamaica Road

  London

  SE16 4BL

  
  

  Employer's website

  https://www.quayhealthsolutions.co.uk (Opens in a new tab)

  Employer details

  Employer name

  Quay Health Solutions CIC

  Address

  Spa Medical Centre

  50 Old Jamaica Road

  London

  SE16 4BL

  
  

  Employer's website

  https://www.quayhealthsolutions.co.uk (Opens in a new tab)

• About the company

  National Health Service (NHS) is the umbrella term for the publicly-funded healthcare systems of the United Kingdom (UK). The founding principles were that services should be comprehensive, universal and free at the point of delivery—a health service based on clinical need, not ability to pay. Each service provides a comprehensive range of health services, free at the point of use for people ordinarily resident in the United Kingdom apart from dental treatment and optical care.

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