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In this blog, Stephanie Tierney, Senior Researcher and Departmental Lecturer, Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine, University of Oxford, shares details of the latest study that aims to explore and explain the link worker role in primary care, and highlights the concept of 'Street-Level Bureaucracy', proposed by Michael Lipsky to better understand this role.
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Exploring understanding of social prescribing in primary care among healthcare professionals, voluntary-community sector representatives, and patients in England
Link workers
Social prescribing represents a paradigm shift in healthcare, emphasizing holistic well-being and focusing on consequences stemming from the social determinants of health. It has seen the employment of link workers in England to support patients with their non-medical needs (e.g. loneliness, housing problems, worries about finances). However, understanding and utilization of social prescribing among professionals and patients remain variable, potentially hindering its efficacy. This blog describes an ongoing qualitative analysis of data collected for a larger study on the link worker role in primary care in England. This qualitative analysis will delve into interpretations/understanding of social prescribing from the perspectives of patients, primary care staff and members of the voluntary-community sector. It will aim to shed light on people’s views on the role, remit, and value of social prescribing within the context of English primary care. It is being undertaken by Iva Fattorini for her dissertation as part of a MSc in Global Healthcare Leadership at the University of Oxford.
Talking about the research with stakeholders: Our third knowledge exchange meeting
Link workers
Stephanie Tierney describes, in this blog, how she met with stakeholders in Sheffield to discuss with them findings from the link worker study she is leading.
Knowledge exchange event in the southwest of England
Link workers
In this blog, researcher Debra Westlake describes how she and colleagues from the University of Oxford facilitated a knowledge exchange event on a study exploring the implementation of link workers in primary care.
Facilitating a knowledge exchange event for link workers and key stakeholders
Link workers
In this blog, researcher Steven Markham describes how he and colleagues from the University of Oxford facilitated a knowledge exchange event on a study exploring the implementation of link workers in primary care.
Poetry as a reflective method for research and practice
Link workers
Debra Westlake entered a reflective poem for the creative enquiry section of the Society for Academic Primary Care Conference 2023. In this blog, she shares her thoughts on discussing it at this event.
Getting feedback on our early findings at a knowledge exchange meeting with link workers
Link workers
In June 2023, Debra Westlake attended a link worker team meeting at one of the research sites involved in the project she is working on as a researcher. At the meeting, she provided some feedback about the study and carried out some knowledge exchange activities. In this blog, she draws out some of the key topics raised during discussions.
Holding, diversity and the link worker role: Reflections on a patient-public involvement meeting
Link workers
In May 2023, co-lead on the link worker study, Stephanie Tierney, visited a patient-public involvement (PPI) group in Sheffield. In this blog, she draws out some of the key topics raised.
Metrics and measures: What are the best ways to characterise our study sites?
Link workers
The authors of this blog reflect on ways to characterise research sites used as case studies for an investigation on the role of social prescribing link workers in primary care.
What does it mean for link workers to fit or belong in primary care? Reflections on a conference presentation
Link workers
At the end of March 2023, Stephanie Tierney presented some early learning from the study she co-leads with Kamal Mahtani on implementing link workers into primary care. This presentation was given at the British Journal of General Practice Research Conference. She was joined by Debra Westlake who has played a key role in collecting and analysing data. Here, Stephanie reflects on what was discussed.
At your discretion: Public and link worker reflections on our emerging findings
Link workers
In this blog, we reflect on a meeting with our patient-public involvement (PPI) group and link workers. At the meeting, we talked about and got those attending to reflect on some of the data we have collected for the research we are conducting on the implementation of link worker roles in primary care.
How we make sense of data
Link workers
In this blog, researcher Steven Markham describes how he and the wider link worker implementation study team are making sense of the vast amount of data produced from seven case studies.
Counting GP appointments when evaluating social prescribing: Does a reduction necessarily signal success?
Link workers
In this blog, Stephanie Tierney considers GP usage as an outcome measure for social prescribing schemes.
Exploring the role of green spaces in social prescribing: A knowledge exchange event
Link workers
Green social prescribing connects individuals to nature and open spaces to support their health and well-being. In this blog, Jordan Gorenberg reflects on a knowledge exchange event at the Harcourt Arboretum in Oxford, where green social prescribing offers are being developed. Jordan is currently involved in the link worker project, collecting data from patients about their experiences of social prescribing.
Who creates the interventions that social prescribing link workers refer to and what social programmes are appropriate for whom?
Link workers
In this blog, Steven Markham, research fellow at the Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine, University of Oxford, reflects on experiences of designing health promotion interventions to inform current and future policy.
The Impact of COVID-19 on social prescribing link workers’ experiences in primary care – key messages from an evaluation in the southwest of England.
Link workers
In this blog, researcher, Debra Westlake, reflects on a previous evaluation she conducted between 2020 and 2021 with a team at the University of Plymouth, investigated the impact of COVID-19 on social prescribing in the southwest of England.
The Link Worker Project - Reflections from a PPI Contributor
Link workers
PPI contributor, Bernard, reflects on the role of link workers, having been involved in one of our core Social Prescribing projects, seeking to better understand implementation of link workers in primary care.