An unexpected part of their role

Here are photos/images from link workers that represent an unexpected part of their role. Pseudonyms (rather than real names) are used. We have used (O) to indicate an original photograph provided by the link worker who participated in an interview. Some photographs were made into an image to avoid identifying the interviewee – represented by an (I) in the gallery. Some interviewees did not provide an image but either talked about what they would have given us if they had time or sent this information in an email before or after the interview – represented by a (R) in the gallery.

This photo highlights how the interviewee (Jane) was surprised at people’s need for hygiene products, something she had not considered before moving into the role. (O)

‘...our hygiene bank...so patients who are experiencing hygiene poverty can get items that they need, there’s like shower gel, sanitary products, it’s really brilliant, and that represents something that maybe we didn’t expect we would see a need for...it sounds quite ignorant...if you’re not experiencing hygiene poverty yourself you might not understand what that’s like and how many people do.’

This photo is of a parrot belonging to a patient that a member of the social prescribing team agreed to re-house. The interviewee (Mary) talked about how this reflected the role’s focus on what matters to an individual. (O)

‘...we concentrate on what matters to that person as an individual and try and help them and we had a lady who, she’s poorly, and she was moving back to Poland and she didn’t want to leave her bird, she had a little parrot, and she was panicking thinking I don’t know what to do...One of the team, one of the girls said I’ll take the bird...we class ourselves as fixers, we try and look for ways of helping and fixing problems...’

This interviewee (Rose) described how hoarding was a common issue she came across but something she felt helpless in being able to address; unless someone could afford to pay a company to empty the house and was ready to change, she felt it was not possible to really help. (O)

‘...it’s amazing how many people in the town and across the UK are hoarders. Very often you wouldn’t have a clue from the front and it can be for a variety of reasons...we get referrals from the local council or the fire service or the police about hoarders...it’s one of those things that unless somebody wants to do something about it, and they have a solid chunk of money behind them, there’s nothing you can do about it.’

This interviewee (Victoria) reflected on an 89 year old lady she supported who was very angry and initially hostile, seeing the link worker as another person who could not help. Through working with this woman, the link worker was able to start making in-roads. However, this patient became ill and was admitted to hospital. The link worker knew there was a cat in the lady’s home that needed feeding; she found a new home for it, which was comforting for the patient as she entered her final days. (O)

‘I was asking all the neighbours and phoning rescue centres, because I thought the cat is in there, it's going to die. If it's outside, nobody will look after it, and eventually managed to track down that the cat was okay.. I told her the cat was okay, and she squeezed my hand, and that was the only response...I don't know if that was my job, I did it because I thought you can't die alone like that, and the worry about your cat seemed to be even worse.’

This photo reflects social prescribing walks that a colleague of this link worker (Prisha) organised after finding a lack of sociable walks for people with mental health conditions. It gives those attending the opportunity to talk to others and to see beautiful aspects of nature (like a peacock). (O)

‘...one of our social prescribers is so keen on green and blue social prescriptions – sky, sea, as well as nature. She loves it, and this is what she’s always done...she’s eco-friendly, everything. So she loves that and she was like, I want to lead on this, and I want to develop this.’

This photo represents a patient who was hoarding. This referral was received by the link worker (Anna) when she was relatively new to the role and was unexcepted. (O)

‘...a client was referred to me during just the tail end of COVID whose GP basically didn’t know where to send her because she was hoarding and every room of her flat was filled with bin bags to the ceiling...’

The link worker (Jasmine) recalled a difficult interaction with a practice manager who did not have a good understanding of social prescribing. This practice manager questioned how long the link worker spent with patients. The link worker felt this should be a conversation with more senior staff. It involved having to explain how the role was different to a medical model. (O)

'...they [practice manager] just weren’t happy really about social prescribing in general...in this one particular practice...I was a little bit surprised that they were coming at me with quite fixed ideas about what social prescribing is and what it shouldn’t be, so I had to have quite a candid conversation [after] a comment like, "Do you need to spend an hour with a person? Because if you just let them chat, they’ll just keep chatting"...’

This participant (Elaine) talked about how she had not expected to be giving out advice/information to patients who should be getting it from statutory providers (e.g. social care). (R)

‘We were becoming...almost like Community Social Workers...the demand just rose too high, and the social workers weren’t there to pick up, and yet everyone, all of a sudden knew who we were... somebody has come...they’re looking for care. [Social services] should be offering that information, advice, assistance...but they don’t...we get an awful lot of people coming to us who say that they’re desperate...So, we’ve ended up giving a lot of advice and information on what they need to be doing, but that’s not our role.’

This notebook records what the interviewee (Amanda) had to follow up on after meeting with a patient. She suggested it reflects the complexity of the cases coming for social prescribing. (O)

‘This is my notebook and I think I was aware that we would be meeting and hearing stories from complex individuals, what I don’t think I expected when I came into this role was the amount of complexity and the amount of trauma that people are bringing and my notebook is basically everything I need to do following a patient contact.’

This is a video still from a therapy farm that the interviewee (Bianca) found out about after attending with a patient. She felt a sense of peace and calm, so ended up volunteering there. (O)

‘I asked my practice manager if I could attend this farm with this person and they agreed...I absolutely loved it and for me it felt like they were my family...I just always wanted to go to this farm and for me it was something that really nurtured me during a very stressful time of my social prescribing role and I found that this was my therapy...I try and go once a fortnight and yeah, it’s an amazing place.’

This interviewee (Veronica) has not enjoyed using an app, designed specifically for social prescribing, finding it difficult to navigate. (I)

‘When I did my previous social prescribing we had a database and we went straight onto [GP IT system] to record all patient notes and all visits and everything, well now we have to use this [app]...I don’t know whether it’s my brain that logically cannot connect with it, it’s just hideous, I just don’t like it, and it’s not reliable...it says it’s done things and it hasn’t done it and there’s quite a lot of us that are experiencing the same thing...’

This interviewee (Mike) talked about how he saw people who had been waiting months for a care package, who entered a meeting with a link worker angry and frustrated. He might have to calm the situation by making the person a cup of tea, which helped with developing a rapport. (O)

‘I’ve got people on my caseload that have been waiting 8, 9 months for a care package...So there is a bit of anger...I don’t begrudge anyone, I’ll make a cup of tea for anyone...but also I don’t see why I should...there’s a bit of anger there because I don’t see it as my role, even though I don’t mind doing it...And there’s a bit of joy as well because I like helping people, and something as simple as making a cup of tea calms people down, it helps to build that relationship between us.’

This interviewee (Francesca) was surprised by the number of emails she had to send – to the charity that employed her, to GPs, an inbox of referrals, feedback from patients. (O)

‘I think one thing I definitely didn’t expect...is just how many emails you send just how many…there’s a lot of admin emails and so again on top of your...six patients a day, 30 to 45 minute appointments, you know 15 to 30 minute break in between which is basically is time for our way in to get the next person’s stuff read.’

This interviewee (Ben) commented on a situation when asked to see someone who wanted help. The individual’s situation turned out to involve domestic abuse and safeguarding. The interviewee suggested that people may be referred with one thing – such as social isolation – but this could result in uncovering a range of other difficulties. The idea that you never know what the knock on the door will lead to is reflected in this picture. (R)

‘...I do get them with sort of domestic abuse, I mean also it just developed into a massive safeguarding and police involvement and everything like that...you can get a message from somebody, saying contact this person, they’re a bit socially isolated here...it can go anywhere really. It’s, you know, that’s the, that’s the sort of conversations we’re having. What are the things that matter to that person at that time.’

Being able to refer a patient, who was socially isolated, to a ballet class for over 55s was recalled by this interviewee (John) as a nice change from the negative issues he heard during consultations (e.g. patients who were struggling financially, were depressed). (O)

‘Sometimes this job is very, very negative… very difficult because when you’re in a clinical room...And when patients don’t turn up or it’s telecoms, it’s telephone appointments all day, you’re on your own all day. You’re hearing people’s problems, you’re hearing how bad things are for people, you’re hearing how skint they are, how depressed they are. So to have somebody come along and be that happy about over-55s ballet dancing lessons was just a dream, an absolute dream.’

A patient came to this link worker (Nesta) wanting help with getting a support dog. This led her to think about expectations around the role and not being completely clear about what she could/should do as a link worker. It also highlighted how link workers need to be resourceful in looking for solutions to people’s diverse issues. (O)

‘...someone came to me who wanted like an emotional support dog...So then yeah just one of those situations where you’re sort of thrown in at the deep end. Kind of people are expecting stuff of you but you’re also just trying to invest in terms of trying to help with those really different things...but have to really look into it and help as much as you can.’

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An unexpected part of their role

This photo highlights how the interviewee (Jane) was surprised at people’s need for hygiene products, something she had not considered before moving into the role. (O)