Social prescribing link worker

A social prescribing link worker gives GP patients time to talk about what matters to them and then connects them with community support: groups, activities, advice services, volunteering, help with money or housing. In England most link workers are employed by or for primary care networks (PCNs), the groups of GP practices that work together. Pay is set by the employer, and when posts are matched to Agenda for Change they are commonly band 4 or band 5, which pay £28,392 to £39,043 in England from 1 April 2026.

Why the role exists

Many people who see a GP have problems that medicine alone will not fix: loneliness, debt, housing worries, caring pressures, low confidence, or a long-term condition they struggle to manage. Social prescribing gives GPs and other staff somewhere to refer those patients. The link worker’s job is to work out, with the person, what would help and support them to take the first steps.

Social prescribing is part of NHS England’s model of personalised care. Primary care networks can claim funding for link workers through the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme, which also funds other roles such as care coordinators, pharmacists and physician associates.

A typical week

Referrals come from GPs, nurses, receptionists, hospital teams and sometimes the patients themselves. You arrange an appointment, often longer than a GP consultation, in the surgery, by phone, at someone’s home or in a community venue. Together you agree a simple plan built around the person’s own goals.

You then connect them with what is available. That might be a walking group, a community garden, a debt advice service, a carers’ centre, an arts project, a befriending scheme or adult learning. Some people need you to go with them the first time. You follow up, review progress and close the case when the person is ready, usually after a limited number of contacts.

Alongside casework, you map local services, build relationships with voluntary groups, spot gaps in provision and record outcomes for reports to the PCN.

Who employs link workers

Employment arrangements vary by area:

• a PCN or one of its member GP practices employs you directly
• a GP federation or community trust employs you and places you with practices
• a voluntary sector organisation employs you under contract to the PCN

The employer sets your pay, contract and benefits. If you are employed by an NHS trust you will be on Agenda for Change. If you are employed by a GP practice or charity, terms may be based on Agenda for Change or on the organisation’s own scale, and pension arrangements differ. Read the advert and contract carefully. Social prescribing roles also exist in councils, housing associations and hospitals, though fewer.

Pay

Role	Common band, where matched to AfC	England, from 1 April 2026
Link worker	4	£28,392 to £31,157
Senior or lead link worker	5	£32,073 to £39,043

These are indicative only, because PCNs and charities are not bound by Agenda for Change. In Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, community link worker roles exist but are organised and funded differently, so grading varies. See NHS band 4 for more on how that band works, and the take-home pay calculator for net pay.

Skills and background

Link workers come from many backgrounds: community development, housing support, advice work, youth work, health and social care, and the voluntary sector. Employers typically look for:

• experience of supporting people with varied needs, including mental health problems
• good knowledge of, or the ability to quickly learn, local community and voluntary services
• the ability to listen and help people set their own goals without taking over
• confident record-keeping, including using GP clinical systems

A driving licence is often listed as essential, because link workers visit people at home and travel between practices and community venues across the network.

Training for new link workers is usually provided, including NHS England’s online learning and accredited personalised care training. Ongoing supervision is important, because you hear about difficult circumstances, including safeguarding concerns, and need clear routes to raise them.

Pressures and conditions

Hours are mostly weekday daytime. Some link workers carry large caseloads, and the role depends on community services that may have limited capacity or uncertain funding, which can be frustrating when there is nowhere suitable to refer someone. Home visits mean lone working, so check your employer’s policy; see lone working.

Measuring impact is part of the job. PCNs report on referrals and outcomes, and you may use a wellbeing measure at the start and end of someone’s support.

Because ARRS funding has changed over time and some posts are fixed-term, ask about the contract length and funding source at interview.

Related roles and next steps

Link workers often move into care coordinator, health and wellbeing coach, or team lead roles, or into community development and voluntary sector management. For roles that draw on lived experience of mental ill health, see peer support worker, and for the patient-navigation side of primary care, see care coordinator. Search NHS Jobs and local charity job boards for “social prescribing”, or browse healthcare support jobs.