Community

Broadband article from Street Parish Council, please click on the link below for further information.

Broadband in Street

Health Connections Mendip is looking for a new Health Connector to join its team in Street.

The Health Connections Mendip service acts as a bridge between primary care and the community. It’s part of an innovative primary care model that is changing the way that health services, social care and local communities work together to help people stay well, manage health conditions effectively, avoid hospital admissions, prevent loneliness and isolation, and feel a sense of belonging within their local area.

Health Connections supports members of the community in a number of ways, for example through:

• Social prescribing; helping people to improve their health, wellbeing and social welfare by connecting them to community services and projects. By increasing people’s active involvement with local diverse communities, personal and community resilience is strengthened – and health and wellbeing inequalities can be reduced.
• Providing one to one health coaching, support and signposting to individuals, in the most appropriate way for them. This can be on the phone, in GP practices, in the community or in patients’ homes.
• Supporting and training members of the community as part of the Let’s Connect programme ~ which includes training Community Connectors (over 1,500 people in Mendip have done this training!)
• Promoting truly preventative health interventions, and helping to establish thriving local communities.

The responsibilities of the Health Connector will include:

• Supporting people in their own communities to improve or resolve non-medical issues which are affecting or could affect their health, wellbeing and independence. This can include social, emotional, situational and practical issues.
• Working with people to develop a health and wellbeing plan which utilises their strengths and resources, and the resources around them in their home, family/friendship networks and local community.
• Providing one-to-one and group health coaching support for people with one or more long-term conditions, based on what matters to them. Working in this way aims to improve people’s levels of ‘activation’, empowering them to manage their own health and improve their health outcomes.
• Building trust and respect with patients, providing non-judgmental and non-discriminatory support, respecting diversity and lifestyle choices.
• Identifying gaps in local service provision through speaking to patients, and feeding this back to the HCM team so that solutions can be explored with the involvement of relevant partners.
• Delivering HCM projects within the community, including Talking Cafes and the Healthy Lifestyles programme.
• Supporting local health, social care and VCSE professionals to make appropriate referrals to, and signpost to, the Health Connections Mendip service.
• Developing strong links with the voluntary sector, supporting the voluntary and statutory sectors to network and improve partnership working.

This role is currently based in West Mendip, and the Health Connections office in West Mendip is based at Vine Health Park in Street.
Hours: 30 to 37.5 per week
Annual salary: £20,140 (pro rata)
Contract length: 12 months
Closing date for applications: Sunday 14th March 2021, midday
Interview dates: Thursday 18th / Friday 19th March 2021

For a full job description and details of how to apply, please visit the Frome Medical Practice website:
https://www.fromemedicalpractice.co.uk/vacancy-health-connector-link-worker