Level 3 Social Prescribing qualification becomes PCI-accredited
PRESS RELEASE: September 2022 / UK
The course creators of a Level 3 qualification are proud to announce it has officially become accredited by the Personalised Care Institution (PCI).
Set up between Conexus Healthcare (a GP confederation in Wakefield), Bromley by Bow Centre and the University of East London, The Social Prescribing Qualification Partnership has just passed the PCI’s rigorous quality assurance and accreditation framework, making it a fully PCI-recognised qualification.
With NHS England commissioners of personalised care training now only procuring training that is PCI accredited, the course joins a number of other NHS-approved courses – but was the UK’s first qualification in Social Prescribing and the first PCI accredited qualification within this specialism.
Developed with NHS funding, this Ofqual regulated course is designed for anyone who is planning to, or is already delivering a social prescribing service. This includes link workers, community navigators and health and wellbeing advisors.
“We’re so pleased to see The Social Prescribing Qualification Partnership receive the recognition it deserves,” says Ben Pilmer, from Conexus Healthcare.
“Our team has put every ounce of our expertise into creating this qualification, combining knowledge with our passion to ensure people studying or working in social prescribing receive the education they need to become their very best within the industry. Being the only social prescribing qualification recognised by the PCI is an honour, and confirms the course really is of a gold standard.”
To become PCI-accredited, standards are set incredibly high to ensure all health and care professionals receive high-quality, evidence based training that is linked to the curriculum. This also means learners and commissioners can be reassured that they meet the very highest standards of training at all times.
“The fact that the course was developed by our team of experts, who remain at the forefront of all developments within this specialism, means the course is the most up-to-date, and comprehensive course in this field. It covers everything a student or person currently working in the industry needs to know and more, including the principles and theory of social prescribing, delivering community-based solutions, community structures and cultures, and improving support mechanisms.”
The course involves a number of additional modules, and is expected to take students up to nine months to complete. Assessment is carried out via workbooks and scenario based assessments and ensures students get a real hands-on experience when it comes to improving their practice and learning. There are seven over-arching modules, with clear learning objectives for each topic.
The NHS Long Term Plan stated previously that there will be over 1,000 trained link workers in place by 2020/21, with a further increase in that number by 2023/24 – making a PCI-accredited course within this specialism more relevant than ever, and ensuring the NHS can continue to provide a wider range of support to people across the country.
