Care Navigator

Description: A care navigator is usually a receptionist or admin staff member who has undergone specialist training. The care navigator role is predominantly associated with active signposting to an alternative health provision, such as a nurse or a physiotherapist, who may be better suited than a GP to deal with an individual’s particular concerns. However, care navigators may also perform more of a social prescribing practitioner-type role which may include spending time with individuals, co-producing an individual action plan with them and identifying suitable groups, interventions or services for them to engage with. Care navigators might also support the individual to attend initial sessions or refer the individual to a community-based social prescribing practitioner who might be better able to connect them to appropriate community assets.

Care navigation is a term that is often used interchangeably with social prescribing to describe active signposting by a care navigator. Care navigation also exists in other sectors as a role that supports the navigation of care services.

Connected Terms: Action planning, buddy system, building the practice, community assets, Community & Voluntary Sector Organisations, co-production, health facilitator, practice-managed scheme, referral, signposting & active signposting, social prescribing, social prescribing outcome principles, social prescribing practitioner, statutory services.