Social Prescribing Link Workers give people time and focus on what matters to the person as identified in their care and support plan. They connect people to community groups and agencies for practical and emotional support and offer a holistic approach to health and wellbeing, hence the name ‘social prescribing’.
Social prescribing enables patients referred by general practice, pharmacies, multi-disciplinary teams, hospital discharge teams, allied health professionals, fire service, police, job centres, social care services, housing associations and voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) organisations get the right care for them.
Link workers typically work with people over 6-12 contacts (including phone calls and face to face meetings) over a three-month period with a typical caseload of up to 250 people, depending on the complexity of people’s needs.
The Network Contract DES responsibilities are linked to enhancement of personalised care planning for people with Cancer. The role of the Social Prescriber is extremely well placed to assist cancer patients with many of the problems they may have as a result of having cancer and treatment for cancer.
This role has been underutilised for a cancer population and would be particularly useful to engage with certain patient groups that are likely to have more complex needs. There is potential for upskilling to provide some 3-month cancer care reviews. This is a role that can have significant effects on the quality of life of the patient and their families and carers. Relationships achieved from conversations after SPLW offer a gateway back into other roles if needed within the practice enabling timely access to the MDT.
A SPLW can support the following:
Prevention
- Making Every Contact Count
- Signposting to teams that promote healthy lifestyles and behaviour change
Early Diagnosis
- Understanding signs and symptoms of cancer
Screening
- Identify low screening rates, non-responders, low participation groups
- Make contact to provide information and support to encourage uptake in non-responders or low participation groups
Personalised Care
- Integrated personalised care planning – including 3 Month Cancer Care Review
- Back to work
- Community services
- Managing multi-morbidity
- Emotional/Social/Financial support
Cancer patients and their carers want more input and support from Primary Care during and after treatment. Their needs are often non-medical related. It is easy to see how support from this role could greatly impact on a person’s quality of life and potential to self-manage. SPLW will also help to support carers and their families which will help to reduce carer burden and offer emotional support. In some areas SPLW are helping with developing bereavement support and groups in their PCNs.
We can offer training and education to help you support and provide personalised care to cancer patients. There are also options for you to learn more about cancer and access supportive literature for your patients (Appendix 6). If your PCN would like to look at innovative ways that your role can be utilised in the cancer pathway including, completing 3-month cancer care reviews there are documents and training to support this in our primary care toolkit.
We currently provide wider workforce webinars to help share knowledge and provide cancer specific training. Cancer and the wider workforce webinar series – Welcome to Wessex Cancer Alliance
There may also be opportunity to join a Wessex Cancer Alliance wider workforce community of practice in the future if there is interest. Please contact us if you would like to register your interest.
Wessex Cancer Alliance provides a Primary Care Newsletter which provides up to date information and education offers. Please contact us if you would like to subscribe.
Macmillan also provide a Primary Care Update which includes latest developments, learning and case studies relating to cancer across primary care, to sign up please access the following link: Sign up for Primary Care Update – Macmillan Cancer Support
We welcome ideas on further training needs or innovation. Please do contact us to discuss further.
This is a role that is unlikely to be employed for cancer patients alone but would be of great benefit to this population. As most PCNs have social prescribing teams embedded there is a potential for new responsibilities to their role that may be of interest to postholders and PCNs.
For more information on how a SPLW can be utilised and how they deliver the requirements of the Network contract DES and other Primary Care drivers please access here (Appendix 9). There are Social Prescribers in the Wessex region that have been trained to do some of the 3-month Cancer Care Reviews. Please see the Wessex Cancer Alliance position statement on this. We are happy to support further training in this if you would like to proceed, please contact us.
Macmillan provide a guide to help PCNs understand the important role Social Prescribers play in supporting people living with cancer Social prescribing guidance for primary care – Macmillan Cancer Support.
Wessex Cancer Alliance provides a Primary Care Newsletter which provides up to date information and education offers. Please contact us if you would like to subscribe.
