Social Prescribing Link Worker in Bolton inBolton PUBLISHED TUE 11 NOV 2025 Jump to job information section

Job summary
Social prescribing empowers people to take control of theirhealth and wellbeing through referral to non-medical link workers who givetime, focus on what matters to me and take a holistic approach, connecting peopleto community groups and statutory services for practical and emotional support.Link workers support existing groups to be accessible and sustainable and helppeople to start new community groups, working collaboratively with all localpartners.Social prescribing can help to strengthen communityresilience and personal resilience, and reduces health inequalities by

Address
ing the wider determinants of health, such as debt, poor housing andphysical inactivity, by increasing peoples active involvement with their localcommunities. 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.

Main duties of the job
Promote social prescribing, its role inself-management, and the wider determinants of healthBuild relationships with key staff in GPpractices within the local Primary Care Network (PCN), attending relevantmeetings, becoming part of the wider network team, giving information andfeedback on social prescribingBe proactive in developing strong links with alllocal agencies to encourage referrals, recognising what they need to beconfident in the service to make appropriate referralsWork in partnership with all local agencies toraise awareness of social prescribing and how partnership working can reducepressure on statutory services, improve health outcomes and enable a holisticapproach to careProvide referral agencies with regular updatesabout social prescribing, including training for their staff and how to accessinformation to encourage appropriate referralsSeek regular feedback about the quality ofservice and impact of social prescribing on referral agenciesBe proactive in encouraging self-referrals andconnecting with all local communities, particularly those communities thatstatutory agencies may find hard to reach

About us
Bolton GP Federation is a collective vehicle where Boltons GPpractices come together to deliver primary care, providing a place forcollaboration, knowledge-sharing, and coordination. The Federation is a voiceof the priorities, needs, and local intelligence of primary care into the widerhealthcare system.We are rated Good by the Care Quality Commission, and we areproud of the services that we run, which include Primary Care Networks,Extended Primary Care, an

Experience
d Nurse Network and the Covid VaccinationProgramme.Our mission is to improve health and care. We meet everydayhealth and care needs for people by connecting primary care systems and usingcreative thinking to develop, improve and support great local services.

Details

Date posted
11 November 2025

Pay scheme
Other

Salary
Depending on

Experience
Contract
Permanent

Working pattern
Full-time, Part-time

Reference number
B0Job location
sFloor 2, The HubBold StreetBoltonLancashireBL1 1LS

Job description

Job responsibilities
1. Take referrals from a wide range of agenciesincluding the PCN, GP practice and multi-disciplinary team/PCN teams : pharmacies, wider multi-disciplinary teams, hospital discharge teams,allied health professionals, fire service, police, job centres, social careservices, housing associations, and voluntary, community and social enterprise(VCSE) organisations (list not exhaustive).2. Provide personalised support toindividuals, their families and carers to take control of their health and wellbeing,live independently improving their health access and outcomes, as a key memberof the PCN team. Develop trustingrelationships by giving people time and focus on ‘what matters to me’. Take aholistic approach, based on the person’s priorities and the wider determinantsof health. Co-produce a simple personalised care and support plan to improvehealth and wellbeing, introducing or reconnecting people to appropriatecommunity groups and statutory services. The role will require managing andprioritising your own caseload, in accordance with the needs, priorities andany urgent support required by individuals on the caseload. It is vital thatyou have a strong awareness /understanding of when it is appropriate ornecessary to refer people back to other health professionals or agencies, whenwhat the person’s needs are beyond the scope of the link worker role – e.g.when there is a mental health need requiring a qualified practitioner.3. Work with a diverse range of people andcommunities, to draw on and increase the strengths and capacities of localcommunities, enabling local VCSE organisations and community groups (includingfaith groups) to receive social prescribing referrals.4. Worktogether with all local partners to collectively ensure that local VCSEorganisations and community groups are sustainable and that community assetsare nurtured, by making them aware of small grants or micro-commissioning ifavailable, including providing support to set up new community groups andservices, where gaps are identified in local provision.

Job description

Person Specification
Personal qualities and attributesEssentialActive Listener, empathetic and able to provide person centred support in a non-judgemental way.Able to get along with people from all backgrounds and communities, respecting lifestyles and diversity.Committed to reducing health inequalities and proactively work to reach people from diverse communitiesProvide support that inspires trust and confidence, motivating others to reach their potentialHigh level ability to communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing, with people, their families, carers, community groups, partner agencies and stakeholdersAbility to identify risk and assess/manage risk when working with individualsStrong 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 practitionerAble to work from an asset-based approach, building on existing community and personal assetsAbility to maintain effective working relationships and to promote collaborative practice with all colleaguesCommitment 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 issuesCan demonstrate personal accountability, emotional resilience, and ability to work well under pressureAbility to organise, plan and prioritise on own initiative, including when under pressure and meeting deadlinesAbility to work flexibly and enthusiastically within a team or on own initiativeUnderstanding of the needs of small volunteer-led community groups and ability to support their developmentAble to provide motivational coaching to support peoples behaviour changeKnowledge of, and ability to work to, policies and procedures, including confidentiality, safeguarding, lone working, information governance, and health and safety

Experience
Essential

Experience
of working directly 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 working with the VCSE sector (in a paid or unpaid capacity), including with volunteers and small community groups

Experience
of partnership/collaborative working and of building relationships across a variety of organisationsUnderstanding of the wider determinants of health, including social, economic and environmental factors and their impact on communities, individuals, their families and carersUnderstanding of, and commitment to, equality, diversity, and inclusion.Knowledge of IT systems, including ability to use word processing skills, emails, and the internet to create simple plans and reportsLocal knowledge of VCSE and community services in the localityDesirable

Experience
of supporting people with their mental health, either in a paid, unpaid, or informal capacity

Experience
of data collection and using tools to measure the impact of servicesKnowledge of the personalised care approachKnowledge of community development approaches

Qualifications
EssentialDemonstrable commitment to personal developmentNVQ level 3 or working towards an equivalent qualification or demonstrable equivalent

Experience
DesirableTraining in motivational coaching and interviewing or equivalent

Experience
Personal qualities and attributesEssentialActive listener. Empathetic and able to provide person centred support in a non-judgemental wayAble to get along with people from all backgrounds and communities, respecting lifestyles and diversityCommitted to reducing health inequalities and proactively work to reach people from diverse communitiesProvide support that inspires trust and confidence, motivating others to reach their potentialHigh level ability to communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing, with people, their families, carers, community groups, partner agencies and stakeholdersAbility to identify risk and assess/manage risk when working with individualsStrong 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 practitionerAble to work from an asset-based approach, building on existing community and personal assetsAbility to maintain effective working relationships and to promote collaborative practice with all colleaguesCommitment 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 issuesCan demonstrate personal accountability, emotional resilience and ability to work well under pressureAbility to organise, plan and prioritise on own initiative, including when under pressure and meeting deadlinesAbility to work flexibly and enthusiastically within a team or on own initiativeUnderstanding of the needs of small volunteer-led community groups and ability to support their developmentAble to provide motivational coaching to support peoples behaviour changeKnowledge of, and ability to work to, policies and procedures, including confidentiality, safeguarding, lone working, information governance, and health and safetyOtherEssentialMeet DBS reference standards and criminal record checksWillingness to work flexible hours when required to meet work demandsAccess to own transport and ability to travel across the locality on a regular basis, including to visit people in their own homesGood level of personal resilience and reliable

Experience
Essential

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