Job Title: Social Prescriber
Contract Type: Part Time | Permanent
Hours: To be discussed
Salary:£13.57 per hour
Location: BEC PCN Enhanced Care Team
Closing Date for Applications: 03 October 2025
About Us
Bournemouth East Collaborative Primary Care Network (PCN), situated on the stunning Dorset South Coast, comprises four like-minded practices working together in East Bournemouth, with a strong reputation on quality improvement and investing in its employees. The PCN serves a population of approximately 53,000 patients with a diverse demographic.
Practices part of the PCN are:
- Beaufort Road Surgery
- Littledown Surgery
- Shelley Manor and Holdenhurst Medical Centre
- Southbourne Surgery
The PCN is committed to developing, supporting and sustaining a diverse workforce, representative of the community it serves. By working together with our different Network teams, we use our combined skills to provide a service that is joined-up, holistic, proactive and personal for the patient.
We are lucky that all our practices are located close to the sea and open green spaces.
Our Network teams include:
- Enhanced Care Visiting team for frail housebound patients and those in care homes. The team includes visiting GPs, ANPs, Paramedic, Frailty Nurses, Care Coordinators, Clinical Pharmacist.
- BEC Treatment Centre working out of the Treatment Centre at Shelley Manor Medical Centre.
- Pharmacy Team made up of a number of experienced Clinical Pharmacists and Pharmacy Technicians supporting our practices and patients
- First Contact Physiotherapy Practitioner service.
- Digital Care Coordinator, Digital Champions.
- Mental Health practitioners.
- Health & Wellbeing Coaches within Help & Care team.
The Role
We are seeking an experienced, compassionate, motivated, and resourceful Social Prescriber to join our multidisciplinary primary care team, Hours to be discussed at interview, to include OOH (Evenings/Saturday).
This role will require an Enhanced DBS Clearance. Should you have this certificate as part of the DBS subscription service, we would be happy to accept this providing the original is shown. Otherwise, you will be expected to complete a new application.
Main Purpose of the Role
Social prescribing is a non-clinical role that empowers people to take control of their health and wellbeing by connecting them with appropriate community-based services and activities. As a Social Prescriber, you will support individuals—particularly those with long-term conditions, mental health issues, social isolation, or complex social needs—by helping them access support networks that improve their quality of life and reduce reliance on health and social care services. This role requires the social prescriber to work efficiently within the fast paced and ever-changing primary care environment, delivering high quality support in a responsive and effective manner.
Main duties and Responsibilities (this list is not exhaustive)
Client Support and Engagement:
- Conduct holistic assessments to identify individuals’ non-medical needs and personal goals.
- Develop personalised care or action plans that focus on the individual’s strengths, interests, and aspirations.
- Build trusting relationships with service users, offering regular follow-up and ongoing support. This may involve supporting patients in their own homes, in the community, at PCN sites or on the telephone.
- Assist with and develop the network patient peer support and social groups including coffee mornings, and peer support groups
Community Connection:
- Signpost or refer individuals to a wide range of local services, including community groups, voluntary organisations, social services, mental health support, physical activity programmes, debt and housing advice, and befriending schemes.
- Develop strong links with local community and voluntary organisations, maintaining up-to-date knowledge of available services.
Collaboration and Communication:
- Work closely with GPs, nurses, mental health workers, and other healthcare professionals to ensure coordinated and integrated care.
- Attend multidisciplinary team meetings and contribute to case discussions as needed.
- Provide feedback to referrers on patient progress, in line with data protection policies.
Monitoring and Evaluation:
- Maintain accurate and timely records of all referrals, interventions, and outcomes using appropriate IT systems.
- Collect and report data for evaluation and continuous improvement of the service.
- Participate in service audits and quality improvement initiatives.
Promotion and Awareness:
- Help raise awareness and understanding of social prescribing among health professionals and the public.
- Contribute to outreach efforts, presentations, and training sessions to promote the service.
Self-Management and Personal Development:
- To manage and maintain own caseload and diary
- To administer and organise own work to ensure that it is accurate and meets targets, reasonable deadlines and reporting requirements
- To adhere to all employing Practice and Network, policies and procedures and Primary Care standards, policies and procedures as defined by your Line Manager.
- Ensure completion of PCN mandatory training
- To ensure that all practices and procedures are undertaken in accordance with a healthy and safe working environment.
- To be responsible for personal learning and development.
- To undertake any other duties or projects commensurate with the nature and grade of this post as required.
PERSON SPECIFICATION (this list is not exhaustive)
Essential Criteria
- NVQ Level 3 or equivalent experience.
- Willingness to complete study/ training as appropriate to the role.
- Experience of working in a Person-centred way and through 1:1 support work
- Interagency working
- Understanding of voluntary sector services.
- An awareness of Equality, Diversity & Inclusion.
- Good communication skills
- Effective organisational skills, ability to prioritise.
- An understanding of people with mental health needs and accepting of other people’s lifestyles
- Able to motivate people to make changes to their lives.
- Flexible and adaptable to deal with unpredictable situations
- Proficient in MS office, able to record accurately using a range of electronic systems
- Skilled case-management, self-motivated & using initiative
- Ability to maintain confidentiality
- Ability to solve problems
- Understanding of safeguarding / risk assessment
- Person centred
- Compassionate / caring
- Flexible and adaptable
- Commitment to continuous learning & development
- Anti-discriminatory
- Self-aware/ reflective practitioner
Desirable Criteria
- Experience of Prevention and Health & Wellbeing and working with older population.
- Experience of support provision in a health care setting / being part of care & support conversations
- 2 years recent experience in relevant sector
- Experience of using SystmOne
- Understanding of Health & Social Care System and services
- Good knowledge of benefits and services available to people living in their own home.
- Awareness of Health & Social Care Policy
- Experience of the housing system and housing applications
- Understanding of the effects of homelessness or potential homelessness on clients
- Experience of supporting people with debt
- A good understanding of issues facing carers and those living with chronic disease.
Equality & Diversity
Demonstrates knowledge and understanding of equality of opportunity and diversity, taking into account and being aware of how individual actions contribute to and make a difference to the equality agenda.
The PCN is a friendly, flexible, forward thinking and a supportive Network.
What can we offer you in return?
- Our PCN reflects the NHS values of working together for our patients and the communities we serve; we will support you with a robust induction programme to help you achieve your full potential and highlight areas of training to ensure good progression.
- We highly value a teamworking ethos and strongly promote a culture of support and development for our staff.
- All our mandatory learning opportunities are free to all employees, and many can be used towards revalidation for those with a professional qualification.
Equal Opportunity
Bournemouth East Collaborative PCN is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All applicants meeting the minimum criteria for the role will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, marriage or civil partnership status, gender, gender expression or gender identity, disability, race or ethnicity, religion or belief, sexual orientation or veteran status.
Immigration Act 2016
All applicants will be asked to provide the required documented evidence of eligibility to live and work in the UK. In completing this application, you are giving Bournemouth East Collaborative PCN permission to contact the Home Office/UKBA to establish your immigration status and eligibility to work at Bournemouth East Collaborative PCN.
Bournemouth East Collaborative PCN is not a Licence Sponsor and can only consider applicants who have the right to live and work in the UK.
Bournemouth East Collaborative PCN reserves the right to close this vacancy early should we receive sufficient applications.