Social Prescribing Link Worker Resources
What is social prescribing?
Health outcomes are intrinsically linked to social circumstances. Social factors often influence whether a person develops a health problem, and conversely, living with a health problem may adversely impact a person’s social situation. Social prescribing aims to address some of the wide range issues that contribute to or result from the presence of a health problem, and help a person connect with their community.
Social prescribing enables all primary care staff and local agencies to refer people to a link worker. Social Prescribing Link Workers (SPLWs) give people time and focus on what matters to the person as identified through shared decision making or personalised care and support planning. They connect people to community groups and agencies for practical and emotional support.
They work within multidisciplinary teams and collaborate with local partners to support community groups to be accessible and sustainable, and help people to start new groups. Social prescribing complements other approaches such as ‘active signposting’.
Link workers typically support people on average over 6-12 contacts (including phone calls, meetings and home visits) with a typical caseload of 200-250 people per year, depending on the complexity of people’s needs and the maturity of the social prescribing scheme.
Upcoming training events for SPLWs (under MPSU events)
All social prescribing training events are FREE to attend. Places are limited and only eligible for social prescribing link workers and health coaches working within Nottingham and Nottinghamshire. If an event says it is fully booked, please register for the waiting list as we will release additional tickets as they become available.
Resources from past SPLW events
These resources are shared to assist with self-study and enhancement of learning from the SPLW education sessions that have previously run.
Motivational Interviewing Skills - 03/08/2021
Programme
What is motivational interviewing
Uses of motivational interviewing
Key skills for motivational interviewing
How to structure the consultation
Resources
Mental Health Disorders - 07/09/2021
Programme
How to recognise: Symptoms of common mental health conditions
How to assess: what sort of questions to ask
Lifestyle based management of common mental health conditions: a range of practical strategies and sign-posting resources for use by social prescribers
Resources
Self Soothe Box
During a role emerging placement within the Nottinghamshire Alliance Training Hub, an Occupational Therapy Degree Apprentice (Kayleigh Wain) provided Self Soothe Box education to Social Prescribing Link Workers to implement within Primary Care Networks.