A vital Link in the healthcare chain

Susan shares the crucial role of Community Links Workers in Primary Care and how uncertainty of funding is putting this role at risk.

The advantages of a preventative approach to health and social care are widely recognised, with investment in early intervention reducing the need for more costly acute care if a person’s health is allowed to deteriorate to crisis point.

Primary care is often the first point of contact people have with health services, particularly through GP practices. The reason for a GP appointment may not always be medical but can stem from underlying social factors affecting people’s health such as finances, housing, caring responsibilities, loneliness and trauma.  Yet GPs are not always best placed to offer support with these issues.

This is why Scottish Government’s vision for the future of primary care services is “for multi-disciplinary teams to work together to support people in the community and free up GPs to spend more time with patients in specific need of their expertise”. 

Community Link Workers are a crucial part of this vision. 

Since 2013 the Community Link Worker programme has developed into an essential lifeline for thousands of people across Scotland to access services that improve their health and wellbeing.  

Link Workers spend time getting to know their communities and the different services within them which includes charities and community groups, statutory and non-statutory services, and “putting people first” lies at the heart of the Community Link Worker programme. 

The ALLIANCE employs Link Workers in Glasgow and West Dunbartonshire.  They are skilled professionals providing a ‘no wrong door’ approach for people experiencing challenges.  Their support may be short-term, but for people experiencing more complex issues they can provide assistance and emotional support for as long as it takes the person to access more specific or longer-term support.  With long waiting list for many services, including mental health, this can be a lifeline for many. 

Link Workers take time to build trust with each person, provide one-to-one tailored support, and help people to identify and access the right support.  Embedded in GP Practices, but employed predominantly by charities, Link Workers support people to improve their health and wellbeing through better access to information, knowledge, skills, relationships and resources.  Although most people are referred by their GP, any of the practice team, including Practice Nurses and Receptionists, can make referrals and people can also self-refer. 

Link Workers enable GPs and practice staff to focus their time on people with medical issues, and may reduce the need for people to attend Accident and Emergency for non-urgent problems.

This creates a virtuous circle; improvements in each service drive future improvements that help relieve pressures throughout the system.

Senior medics in Scotland have recognised that Link Workers are one of the most important recent innovations in healthcare.  The programme has had such a positive impact on GPs and patients, and has become so embedded that losing it would severely increase GP workload and impact on other people’s health needs.

Development of the Link Worker Programme and the benefits that it brings to the Scottish people remain a key priority for the ALLIANCE as an important example of proactive health care.  Yet insecure funding arrangements mean the future of this vital role continues to be at risk. 

It is an invaluable service which should be more widely promoted, resourced and expanded throughout Scotland.  As one beneficiary stated “I never knew there was a service like this – it’s brilliant, should be better advertised and everyone should have a community links worker”.

The Links Programme was developed by Health and Social Care Alliance Scotland in partnership with GPs at the Deep End.  The programme is funded by Health and Social Care Partnerships and local authorities and delivered by suppliers across Scotland including the ALLIANCE, Scottish Association for Mental Health (SAMH), Carr Gomm and We Are With You (WAWY).

This article was first published in the Scotsman.

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