Meet Laura, a Social Prescriber Lead. Laura works with adults of all ages over 18 who have been referred by a health professional, often a GP, and who are seeking help to improve their situation.
No day is the same
Laura sees people either in the surgery or, if they are housebound, in another suitable place, such as their home. Many of the clients are isolated in some way – maybe due to financial constraints, mental health issues and/or physical disabilities. Laura offers six sessions to work on what matters to the client and works with them to try and achieve their goals.
Social Prescriber’s manages their own diaries – Laura meets clients for approximately one hour and will usually meet with clients fortnightly. She will use different techniques such as goal setting or helping with practical matters such as benefits, signposting or referring them onto other organisations. Laura may attend Multi-Disciplinary Team sessions, communicate with other senior teams, carry out supervisions for other wellbeing co-ordinators, and run courses for her clients.
I love working with people
Laura previously worked in supported living, supporting adults with mental health conditions, and during Covid decided that she wanted more of an input around her role and to have more control over the outcomes of the service she was delivering. Laura is passionate about what she does and loves working with people.
In her current role as Social Prescriber Lead, Laura is able to help change lives. Having the ability to build meaningful relationships and her outgoing nature means that she is able to tackle the different aspects of her role that are placed in front of her e.g. social problems, financial issues, practical advice and signposting to various groups or services. Having an awareness of the difficulties that people face and the confidence to support these individuals with their difficulties is a must.
It’s not a job based on qualifications
Being a Social Prescriber is based on experience, enthusiasm and using your initiative to get the best possible outcome for each individual, it’s not a job based on qualifications.
“The best part of the job is getting to know clients and seeing the progress they make”. Laura is able to use her own strengths to help others and seeing feedback when the client is succeeding in their progress is so rewarding. The variety within the role is great – it’s exciting that every day is different. The support Laura receives from her employer is also excellent – they realise that the health and wellbeing of the Social Prescriber is paramount for the service to work.
For someone considering starting a career in social care, Laura recommends getting as much experience as possible, especially in the community; get to know what’s happening in your area; get to know what your community needs; and do some volunteering to get a feel for what care is and how meaningful it is. Laura believes that anyone who works as a Social Prescriber is very lucky. “This role has shown me an openness to the holistic approach which does wonders for our health and wellbeing”.
If, like Laura, you’d like the challenge and reward of becoming an social prescriber, you can find more information on our careers pages.
