Hospital and Community Link Worker

Hospital & Community Navigation Service

The Service

Commissioned by Hertfordshire County Council in 2017, the Hospital & Community Navigation Service is comprised of eight voluntary organisations who provide hospital discharge and social prescribing services to Hertfordshire residents. HCNS is pleased to announce a recent successful tender application for the service contract for another three years until March 2027.

HCNS provides a free countywide Social Prescribing Service for Hertfordshire, designed to support individuals to improve and maintain health and wellbeing The Hospital & Community Navigation service has teams based locally that will understand their local populations, and support people over the age of 18 who are returning home from hospital or are in need of additional support due to ill health. Helping to find, navigate and access community-based support. The aim of the service is to empower service users to make positive changes to their lives so they feel more resilient and in control.

Main purpose of the role:

• Support those who are struggling with issues such as social isolation, housing, finances, not understanding or managing their health or wellbeing and making sure they have any advice and help needed to access appropriate services.
• Support people being discharged from hospital and reduce the likelihood of readmission by helping them to regain and retain independent living. As well as finding and accessing further support.
• Work with hospital based and community based health and social care providers such as Integrated Discharge Team, GP surgeries, adult care services and voluntary sector organisations to assist individuals who are in need of additional support and guidance (outside of statutory services) to ensure problems and issues do not worsen and lead to ‘crisis’.

Responsibilities

• Hold a caseload of clients and provide support and information to those clients, so they can build sustainable relationships with groups, activities and services which will help build resilience and independence.

• To create short, medium and longer-term goals with clients, through on-going personalised care and support planning. Highlight any changes in a service user’s condition or circumstance ensuring that appropriate measures are taken to support the person.
• Link clients to existing resources in the community to help them to live well and avoid crisis. Identify any gaps in resources and relay to management. Ensure that clients develop sustainable relationships with organisations and services.
• Use a Case Management System to accurately record and report actions taken, allowing the service to demonstrate its outcomes.
• Liaise with social care, health, housing and other professionals to ensure that the needs of the individual are consistently met.
• Collect equipment like walkers and commodes from local hospitals and deliver them to clients and occasionally provide transport to service user’s home by car on discharge from hospital wards, A&E departments & community hospitals.
• Carry out essential shopping, prescription collections and urgent welfare checks as required.
• Assess the service users living environment through carrying out a risk assessment and providing information/advice whilst respecting their individual dignity, choice and rights.
• To undertake training as required and be prepared to travel throughout Hertfordshire to attend any relevant meetings.
• Willingness to work flexibly around the needs of the service, including weekend working and supporting other localities with casework when required.
• Focus on tackling health inequalities through the identification of the most vulnerable communities.
• Comply with Health & Safety policies and Data Protection policies including, but not limited to, those on lone working, manual handling, infection control and client confidentiality.
• Ensure service users’ health and wellbeing is preserved and safeguarding policies and procedures are followed at all times. Work with colleagues to ensure that health and safety legislation and risk assessments are understood and implemented.
• Work in partnership with the District and Borough Councils, Housing Associations, local Voluntary Organisations and Forums to ensure that the project is effectively used and understood.

HCNS Person Specification

Skills & Knowledge

• Demonstrates a passion for delivering agreed outcomes.
• Works well under pressure.
• Self-motivated and able to carry out tasks with minimal supervision.
• Strong team player and able to work effectively as part of a locality, area and Countywide team.
• Flexible, innovative and adaptable and has a ‘can do’ approach and attitude.
• Good understanding of the voluntary and statutory sector and ideally the specific locality area.
• Skilled at using user feedback to demonstrate outcomes and improve services.
• Demonstrates personal accountability.
• Works confidently with service users, partners and stakeholders to find effective solutions.
• Effective administrative skills and an excellent standard of IT skills including MS Office, the internet and appropriate software.
• To have experience or the ability to confidently learn new systems or databases i.e. Clear 2 system, Charity Log, Salesforce, Joy etc.
• Able to work and travel throughout the area on a regular basis as appropriate, and more widely as required.

Experience

• Recent experience of working directly in a community development context, adult health and social care, learning support or public health/health improvement (including unpaid work) is essential.
• Experience of liaising with agencies (statutory and voluntary) on a day to day basis.
• Working in the public sector or a charitable organisation providing services to the public.

Subject to satisfactory references and an Enhanced DBS check

Community Support Worker

Social Prescriber

Community Outreach

Job Type: Full-time

Salary: £25,200.00 per year

Benefits:

• Company pension
• Sick pay

Schedule:

• Monday to Friday
• Weekend availability

Licence/Certification:

• UK Driving License and access to own car (required)

Work Location: Hybrid remote in Watford

Reference ID: WatHCLW 02/24