Social Prescriber Link Workers, (SPLWs) come from various backgrounds. SPLWs give patients time to focus on what matters, as identified through shared decision making or personalised care and support planning. SPLWs connect people to community-based support, including activities and services that meet practical, social and emotional needs that affect their health and wellbeing. This includes connecting people to services for example housing, financial and welfare advice.

Social prescribing link workers work collaboratively across the health and care system, targeting populations with greatest need and risk of health inequalities. They collaborate with partners to identify gaps in provision and support community offers to be accessible and sustainable.

Our support to you

The Training Hub believes in investing in learning and development to enable individuals to reach their full potential and enhance care delivery to patients accessing Primary Care. We aim to support you as part of our workforce within General Practice by offering the opportunity to network, build a community of practice and gain additional skills needed for your role.

Opportunities

There are several opportunities to learn and gain peer support outside of our Training Hub.

SSM regional offer: learning, developmental and peer support

A range of learning and support options are available to you as part of NHS England’s regional supported self-management (SSM) offer, including:

Regional learning coordinators: A learning coordinator for your region is there to support you in your role. They have experience of managing and developing social prescribing schemes or have been a Social Prescribing Link Worker just like you.

They will help you with your specific learning and development needs and organise training on topics, such as how to help people stay active in their communities. They also develop peer support networks within the region, providing opportunities to meet other Social Prescribing Link Workers to share experiences and best practice.

Online ‘collaborative platform’: NHS England and NHS Improvement run an online community of people involved in SSM and social prescribing colloquially known as the ‘collaborative platform’. Chat to other Social Prescribing Link Workers and people who work in SSM to share experiences and best practice. You’ll also be able to access useful resources.

For access and further information about this training and support, email SSM at england.socialprescribing@nhs.net with your contact details and the name of your Primary Care Network (PCN) and let them know you are a Social Prescribing Link Worker.

Social prescribing NHS Futures collaboration membership

The Future NHS collaboration platform offers you an online network for sharing resources and connected with colleagues working in SSM.

Setting up an online account will also give you access to regular webinars. These cover key topics and approaches to effective social prescribing. You can also catch up on webinars previously broadcast.

e-Learning for Healthcare

The Social Prescribing programme on e-Learning for Healthcare (e-LfH) is an accredited online training programme. It covers the main skills needed to do your job day to day, including best practice for delivering social prescribing within your PCN’s multidisciplinary team.

To access this training programme, you’ll need to log in to your e-LfH account or register for an account.

Who do I contact