A Community Link Worker is a member of your GP Surgery Team and provides advice and support on any social issues affecting you, on local services and community-based groups and activities.

They are currently working around the needs of the client so they are offering telephone consultations, video calls or face to face.  So there is a mixture of remote and working from practice or home visits.  They are also starting to go back to working in some community settings – these stopped due to covid but are starting back up now so the service are basing themselves from those settings to ensure they are as accessible as possible.

What do they do?

A Community Link Worker can support you with any social issues that are affecting health and wellbeing, for example: money worries, debt, benefits and welfare, unemployment, social isolation, bereavement or housing.

Mental Wellbeing - If you are feeling low and are concerned about your mental wellbeing, a Community Link Worker has time to listen to any concerns you may have, and will work with you to help you feel better and will also connect you to local services, groups or activities.

Coronavirus Support:

The Community Link Worker Service is continuing to work alongside GP Surgeries, offering advice and support during the Coronavirus outbreak restrictions. The team can provide general advice on how to keep yourself safe and well, how to access medication, on-going health care and shopping.

Referral process and criteria:

Anyone over the age of 18 with a non-medical need can access the service.  This can be self-referral by contacting 01942 836967 or referral via their surgery (anyone in surgery can refer them).  Other organisations/services such as the Council, WWL, Hospice to name but a few are also able to refer into the service.

There is work underway in terms of access for under 18s.

How many:

CLW service started as a pilot in 2015 with two Senior Health Trainers trialling the concept of a Community Link Worker in 11 practices across the Borough.  We then went to 14.8 whole time equivalent CLWs across the borough.

A couple of years ago it was nationally recognised the need for Social Prescribers. Through the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme there is a number of additional roles that have been identified that potentially could assist within primary care and a certain amount of funding is available for each Primary Care Network.

We now have 24 CLWs across Wigan Borough which is a mixture of the previous CLWs and the additional ones through the PCN funding.

The whole service is hosted by Wigan Council.

Data:

Since 2015 20,625 referrals have been received into the service

16,037 from General Practice

20,541 patients seen by the service since 2015

Case study:

Chris' story

Chris was referred to the Community Link Worker Service for support with re-housing due to poor living conditions including no central heating and was also socially isolated. Following the death of his mother, Chris receives on-going support from his cousin Geoff.

What happened:

Chris wanted to move into sheltered accommodation as he could not afford the cost of repairs to make his home safe and habitable. The Community Link Worker referred Chris to Home finders at Wigan and Leigh Housing, and arranged a home visit to complete a new housing application.

The Community Link Worker liaised with Home Finders and also arranged regular appointments with Chris and his cousin to up-date and follow-up any actions.

Chris moved-in to his new property 5-months later, and is now happy, safe and warm. Chris also attends weekly activities in the community room with other residents and is happy to make new friends.