Community Link Worker

Our Community Link Worker is here to provide you with personal support to improve your health and wellbeing.

Who can the Community Link Worker help?

The Community Link Worker can help anyone registered at this GP Practice, provided they are 16 years old or over. The Community Link Worker can also help families, and children under 16, through appointments with the parent or Carer present.

The Community Link Worker is here to help anyone who wants to improve their health and wellbeing; we do this by linking you with the right people and places, who can help you in the longer term.

Life events affect us all, and it is very common to feel stressed out, upset or find it difficult to cope. Life events that can affect your health and wellbeing include:

loss and bereavement
loneliness
relationship problems
feeling low or anxious
unemployment or difficulties at work
worry about money, debt or housing.

All these things can affect how you think, feel and behave. In turn this can lead to problems with your health and wellbeing. The Community Link Worker is here to help you pinpoint the the underlying causes to poor health and wellbeing, and find a way to tackle these. This leaves more time for your GP to deal with medical matters.

There are lots of other life circumstances that can impact on you; for example

being a Carer for a family member
being a parent
experiencing violence or abuse
having a long term condition; like chronic pain, COPD or diabetes
having a disability

Rest assured that the Community Link Worker can help with any challenges you are facing.

What is a Community Link Worker?

The Community Link Worker has a qualification in health and social care, and experience in helping people in the community. They are good at listening to people, and are great at coming up with ideas and making connections in the community. They are here to help you and will go at your pace.

The Community Link Worker works as part of the Practice team, and has access to your medical notes unless you request otherwise. They are subject to the same strict rules on confidentiality as all the other members of the Practice team.

What happens when I go to see the Community Link Worker?

You will be offered a number of appointments; face to face meetings often happen in the GP Practice, but you might also have phone, online or community appointments. The times will be flexible to suit your commitments.

The Community Link Worker will listen to you and help you work out the small steps that you can take to improve your health and wellbeing.

The Community Link Worker will offer practical help and connect you with other people and places that can help. This could be specialist support; for example for example for bereavement, money advice or mental health. They can help you find new ways of keeping
active and having fun too; like volunteering or joining a hobby group.

As well as individual appointments the Community Link Worker also runs small groups for people who are tackling a similar health or wellbeing issue; examples include the sleep management group, anxiety management and health walks. See the groups leaflet for more information.

How can I get an appointment with the Community Link Worker?

We want it to be really easy for you to get an appointment, here's how;

ask at reception in the GP Practice
ask your GP or any member of the Practice team who you are seeing
email renfrewshire@wearewithyou.org.uk with your contact details and Practice name

What people tell us about seeing the Community Links Worker

We listen to what people tell us about their experience, and we are always trying to improve what we do. We have had some good feedback so far. Maybe this will encourage you to make an appointment!

100% of people who came to see the Community Links Worker agreed that they were listened to, treated with compassion and respect.
100% of people who came to see the Community Links Worker agreed that they had been connected to the right sources of support.
100% of people agree that their wellbeing had improved as a result of seeing the Community Links Worker.

Here are some of the comments we have had:

"I can't thank you enough for listening to me through some of the hardest weeks I've ever went through."

"The Community Link Worker was a caring, calming and compassionate person. He had an immense effect on wellbeing, making me feel that there was light at the end of my troubles."

"I have recommended the Community Links Worker to other family and friends who are patients in the Practice - she was just great."

We Are With You

We Are With You are a registered Scottish Charity. Since 2004 we have been helping people improve their health and wellbeing.

Each year in Scotland we help thousands of people take the small steps that lead to big changes.

Many of our staff have experience of recovering from mental health difficulties, substance use or other adverse life experiences. This lived experience makes us more compassionate, determined and better at helping you.

Privacy notice

At Renfrewshire Community Links we are committed to keeping you and your information safe. We follow the law, which puts your rights at the heart of how we treat your data.

We only collect information about you to provide you with the best care and support. This information is kept on our secure database. We will share key information with your GP to join up your care. We also send anonymous information to NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde who pay for the service. This is to show how we are performing in our contract. Other than that, we do not share any information about you without your consent, unless there is a serious risk of harm to you or others.

If you would like more information about this, please ask your Community Link Worker or visit our website www.wearewithyou/privacy

Connect with our Community Link Worker here at the Practice

It is easy for you to find out more about the Community Link Worker and make an appointment. You can

Speak to reception
Speak to the GP or any other member of staff
Email renfrewshirelinks@wearewithyou.org.uk with your contact details and Practice name

wearewithyou.org.uk

This service is designed for anyone worrying about certain aspects of their life, and not sure where to turn...this may include financial worries, grief, isolation, anxiety or low mood to name a few.

Please ask any of the staff about a referral to our CLW to see how they can help you.