Care Navigation

Medway Council and NHS Medway Clinical Commissioning Group (the Commissioners) are committed to procuring a high quality, effective and outcome focused service that provides value for money. We want a new model of working that ensures key health and social care priorities are addressed by the best placed organisation

Care Navigation fits into the 10 High Impact Changes outlined in the GP Forward View. Care Navigation is part of Social Prescribing and as a fundamental supports patient's in their journey through the health and social care system. Care Navigation is vital for those individuals who need support in locating and accessing the appropriate services for themselves and those they care for.

Care Navigation should not be seen in isolation as a project on its own. It is part of the bigger Social Prescribing project led by Medway Public Health and has links to other areas of the GP Forward View such as Sign Posting for Receptionists and MDT's wrapped around the patients.

The term Care Navigator has been used in Medway to describe a link worker and refers to a non-clinically trained person who works in a social prescribing service and receives the person who has been referred to them. They offer a service that is based on an equal relationship between the person receiving support and the link worker.