A day in the life of a self-isolating Social Prescriber: day one

Hi there, I’m Megan, the Social Prescribing PCN Link Worker for Holderness Health at the Humber Teaching NHS Foundation Trust.

Due to the ongoing COVID­-19 situation I am currently working from home, carrying out telephone appointments with Social Prescribing clients in the East Riding. I’m hoping this blog will be a little initiative that goes a long way to support others who may find themselves in a similar situation.

Working from home is new to me, but I’m aware that it’s important that I maintain a routine. First things first, I rolled out of bed at around 7am and made some porridge and a large mug of coffee. I changed, brushed my teeth and hair and came downstairs to begin my working day. Not too different to usual, yet!

After a little admin and catching up with my emails, I started the big difference in my work: telephoning my clients rather than meeting in person. The calls today mostly covered saying hello, checking-in and letting them know that support was going to be conducted via phone for a little while. The nature of my role means that it’s so important that contact is maintained during this time (and increased, where possible!) as many of our clients are somewhat isolated and vulnerable, and may have limited contact with others whilst self-isolating.

The impact self-isolation could have on someone’s wellbeing could be significant. We are naturally social beings and being forced to stay indoors on your own, though extremely important and encouraged, could increase anxiety and reduce the ability to manage stress or depression in some people.  

This is why it’s so important we’re still able to provide support to our service users and check in with them, to remind them they’re not on their own and we’re here to help despite appropriate changes being made.

Alongside speaking to our service users, next on my agenda is to check in with our team at Holderness Health. This is an opportunity to collect new referrals and discuss possible ways to reach those who are at risk of further isolation with the current situation. 

It’s been a busy morning, time for a breather and a refuel…a banana, and most importantly, a cup of tea!

My afternoon consisted of lots more phone calls and several remote Link Worker appointments. Here, my role is to listen, motivate and offer support to develop a personal plan to improve health and wellbeing. This kind of support is more important than ever right now, when people may be feeling concerned, anxious or isolated.

To finish off the day I finalised any outstanding admin and emails, then I’m ready to close my laptop for the day!

I have to say, despite it being challenging at times, I have enjoyed my first day of home working and it has been a relatively simple experience overall. My new work colleague, Bodhi (my dog!), has been ultimately very impressive and surprisingly on his best behaviour.

I’ll check in with you tomorrow to let you know how I’m getting on!

Thanks for reading.

Megan.