Healthbox CIC in partnership with Chester Central Primary Care Network are looking for 2x Part-time (3 days per week) Mental Health Link Workers to work as part of our Mental Health team. Working hours are Monday-Friday, ranging from 9am-8.30pm (some evening shifts are required)

Main Purpose of Role

Link Workers help support and empower patients to take control of their health and wellbeing by giving patients time to focus on “what matters to me”. Link Workers use a holistic approach in supporting and connecting patients to groups and activities within their local community to improve and manage their wellbeing, tackle social isolation and meet their non-medical needs. They will also support existing groups to be accessible and sustainable and help build new community groups, whilst working collaboratively with local organisations.

Mental Health

The Mental Health Link Workers will work as a key part of the existing Healthbox CIC mental health link worker and social prescribing link worker services, being part of multidisciplinary teams and the wider Healthbox CIC community. As a counselling focused role a focus will be supporting adult clients within Healthbox CIC projects

Principle Duties and Responsibilities

● Working closely with referred counselling patients and assessing their non-medical requirements, supporting their needs and finding suitable support that will help them improve their health and wellbeing.

● Meet referred people on a one-to-one basis, giving people time and focusing on a ‘what matters to me’ person-centred approach for clients. Build trust and respect with the person, providing non-judgemental and non-discriminatory support, respecting diversity and lifestyle choices. Work from a strength-based approach focusing on a person’s assets.

● To coordinate an adult counselling service with a team of counselling trainees and volunteers.

● To provide counselling triage, counselling and support to adults within Chester East Primary Care Network.

● To create and develop interventions, workshops and courses to deliver to support patients.

● Monitoring and recording the progress and outcomes of referred patients, and completing necessary reports when required.

● Work with individuals to co-produce simple goals to address the person’s health and wellbeing needs – based on the person’s priorities, interests, values, cultural and religious/faith needs and motivations.

● Forge strong links with a wide range of local VCSE organisations, community and neighbourhood level groups, utilising their networks and building on what’s already available to create a menu of diverse community groups and assets, who promote diversity and inclusion.

Data capture

● Work sensitively with the Stakeholders, Primary Care Networks, patients, their families and carers to capture key information, measuring the impact and outcomes on the patient’s health and wellbeing.

● Provide appropriate feedback to referral agencies about the patients they referred and understanding when a patient needs to their GP.

● Complete reports on data where appropriate.

Professional development

● Work with your line manager to undertake continual personal and professional development.

Confidentiality:

● In the course of seeking treatment and support, clients entrust us with, or allow us to gather, sensitive information in relation to their health and other matters. They do so in confidence and have the right to expect that all staff will respect their privacy and act appropriately.

● In the performance of the duties outlined in this job description, the post-holder may have access to confidential information relating to clients and their carers and other healthcare workers. All such information from any source is to be regarded as strictly confidential.

● Information relating to patients, carers, colleagues and other health/social care workers may only be divulged to authorised persons in accordance with the practices, policies and procedures relating to confidentiality and the protection of personal and sensitive data.

Equality and diversity:

The post-holder will support the equality, diversity and rights of patients, carers and colleagues, to include:

● Acting in a way that recognises the importance of people’s rights, interpreting them in a way that is consistent with procedures and policies, and current legislation.

● Respecting the privacy, dignity, needs and beliefs of patients, carers and colleagues.

● Behaving in a manner that is welcoming to and of the individual, is non-judgmental and respects their circumstances, feelings, priorities and rights.

Quality:

The post-holder will strive to maintain quality within the practice, and will:

● Alert other team members to issues of quality and risk.

● Assess own performance and take accountability for own actions, either directly or under supervision.

● Work effectively with individuals in other agencies to meet patients’ needs.

● Effectively manage own time, workload and resources.

Communication:

The post-holder should recognise the importance of effective communication within the team and will strive to:

● Communicate effectively with other team members.

● Communicate effectively with patients and carers.

● Recognise people’s needs for alternative methods of communication and respond accordingly.

Knowledge and Skills

Essential

● Qualified Counsellor At least diploma level

● Experience and knowledge to support professionals within public sector roles

● The ability to build relations with key internal and external stakeholders

● Well-developed interpersonal skills

● Organisational skills

● Excellent time management skills

● Excellent literacy and numeracy skills

● Good written and verbal communication skills

● The ability to solve problems and implement action plans

● Knowledge of IT systems, including ability to use word processing skills, emails and the internet to create simple plans and reports.

●Experience of data collection and providing monitoring information to assess the impact of services

Desirable

● Safeguarding Training

● Understanding of the wider determinants of health, including social, economic and environmental factors and their impact on communities

● Local knowledge of the area including community organisations

● Building positive relationships with healthcare professionals and patients.

Experience

Essential

● Experience working with vulnerable populations

● Experience in managing own workload

Desirable

● Experience working as a community Navigator/ Link Worker/ Social Prescriber

● Experience working in a healthcare environment or in the voluntary and community sector

● You have experience in delivering training and/or capacity building to user groups and/or staff teams

● Experience in integrating a new service within GP surgeries

Personal Qualities

Essential

● Ability to listen, empathise with people and provide person-centred support in a non-judgemental way

● Able to support people in a way that inspires trust and confidence, motivating others to reach their potential

● Ability to communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing, with people, their families, carers, community groups, partner

agencies and stakeholders

● Ability to multitask

● Ability to work without direct supervision

● Ability to work well in an integrated multi-skilled team

● Able to apply confidentiality, tact and diplomacy in conducting the duties required of this role

● Ability to identify risk and assess/manage risk when working with individuals

● Ability to demonstrate initiative, resourcefulness and common sense

● Ability to organise, plan and prioritise on own workload, including when under pressure and meeting deadlines

● Willingness to work towards professional and performance objectives

● Ability to demonstrate personal accountability, emotional resilience and works well under pressure

Other

Essential

● Flexible approach to undertaking a wide variety of tasks

● Flexible with regard to changing priorities

● Willingness to work flexible hours when required to meet work demands

● Access to own transport and ability to travel across the locality on a regular basis, including to visit people in their own homes if required

Desirable

Able to work from an asset based approach, building on existing community and personal assets

Other details

£26,053 per year, pro rata

Permanent Role

Job Types: Part-time, Permanent

Pay: £26,053.00 per year

Expected hours: 22.5 per week

Benefits:

• Casual dress
• Company events
• Company pension
• Free parking
• On-site parking
• Referral programme
• Work from home

Schedule:

• Monday to Friday

Application question(s):

• Are you BACP registered?

Work Location: In person

Application deadline: 28/08/2024
Reference ID: MHLWCC224