Spotlight- Marie Adams, Accredited Level 5 Certificate in Social Prescribing Practice Qualified

Spotlight- Marie Adams, NALW Accredited Level 5 Certificate in Social Prescribing Practice Qualified

What motivated you to pursue the Accredited Level 5 Certificate in Social Prescribing Practice Course?

Whilst I have a degree in Community Development, it isn’t aligned to the NHS and Primary Care.
I wanted to push myself and challenge the knowledge and skill set I have developed over the past 5 years as a Social Prescriber to see if they were in line with what is expected of a Social Prescriber. I am fortunate to have my role developed by my mentor and PCN and felt this course could show me how far I have come.

Could you share some of the specific benefits and insights you gained from completing the Course?

The course allowed me to reflect on the work I have done and how my skill has grown and developed far more than I could have known.
Using the set case studies, I was able to define the way I work with the community I am based. This developed my confidence and has stopped me feeling like a fraud and more confident and professional in the way I deliver my sessions.

My colleagues from reception to senior GP’s are all proud of me! In fact, it was amazing how pleased they were when I showed them. They understand the patients I work with can be complex and challenging, this qualification underpins the important role I have within the surgery and primary care. The following week I was given a door sign with my name and job title, I think I was floating for a few days afterwards as it validated the hard work of the course, my role in the surgery and that I was part of the surgery team!

If you could message organisations and individuals considering this course, what would it be based on your experience and its impact?

This course not only underpins the skill set, but it also values and empowers your professional Social Prescriber. They are more than the non-clinical colleague, they have time, listen to all that a person has to say and feels and has a range of information to support a patient one step at a time.
Within the funding allocated for Social Prescribers, funded training for level 5 courses such as the NALW Accredited Social Prescriber needs to allocated to underpin the skills and profession. Training shouldn’t just be for staff to develop clinical skills. It should be used to train all patient facing staff with the professional skills expected to work within a patient centred environment.

Interested in enrolling, email education@nalw.org.uk