Our social prescribing team can help with many things , please see a list below of what things that the social prescribers can do.
Many things that affect our health can’t be treated by doctors or medicine alone.
Like loneliness, debt, or stress due to financial pressures or poor housing.
Social prescribing connects people to non-medical support to address these issues and other unmet needs.
This could involve a Social Prescribing Link Worker or an equivalent role:
- Helping someone who is isolated join a befriending group, an art class or a community gardening project, based on what works for them.
- Connecting someone struggling with financial stress to a service that helps with managing debt or claiming benefits.
- Supporting someone with dementia to join a dementia choir, enabling them to maintain a sense of social connection.
- Working with someone with high blood pressure to take up a form of exercise that they’re comfortable with.
Social prescribing can help change the circumstances that can make people unwell. It can empower people to manage existing health problems, to get the right benefits or get back into employment. It can help people to connect and to grow in confidence.
Social prescribing is… practical and emotional support.
Social prescribing often begins with a referral from a GP, hospital, charity or other organisation to a Social Prescribing Link Worker.
Link workers listen to people and try to understand their situation, and what matters to them. They then “link” that person to organisations and information that can help.
There are also other people in the community, including charity workers, youth workers or faith leaders, who can identify people who might need support and help them connect to relevant activities, groups or services.
“It’s about hearing what people’s concerns and frustrations are, and really helping them to navigate the situation. Making a plan to go forward. Helping them put their life back together.” – Gay Palmer, Link Worker and team lead in Southwark
Social prescribing is… helping people live the best lives they can
Social prescribing can play a crucial role in improving health and wellbeing, nationwide.
- It helps people feel heard, valued, and understood,
- It creates thriving communities,
- It can support people who are most at risk of poor health,
- And it helps people get the most relevant and effective support available.
For some people, social prescribing provides an alternative to medication. For others it works alongside it. Either way, it can help tackle the root cause of many health and wellbeing issues.
Social prescribing is… taking pressure off the NHS
It is estimated that almost a fifth of GP appointment time is spent on non-medical problems – including loneliness, isolation, relationship issues, or stress related to money or housing. Social prescribing gives doctors, organisations, and other professionals a way to help people, and address their problems more effectively.
Evidence shows that social prescribing can take pressure off the NHS by reducing the need for GP appointments and for medical prescriptions.
“Having social prescribing in the practice has really helped improve the health and the benefits for patients.” – Dr. Mohan Sekeram, Partner GP, Wideway Medical Centre
Social prescribing is… tackling health inequalities
With an ageing society and rising rates of loneliness, we need to address the social factors that influence people’s health.
Some of us can find support for issues like loneliness or financial problems by ourselves. But many of us face barriers that stop us getting the help we need. These could include health problems, disabilities, caring responsibilities, financial problems, anxiety about trying something new or simply not knowing what’s out there and where to start.
In some cases, there may be barriers to good health or access to healthcare because of our ethnicity, where we live, or many other factors. Social prescribing can look at the circumstances that make people unhealthy and their symptoms. It can help people to find the support they need, based on their unique situation.
Social prescribing is… the glue that links voluntary organisations with people who need their help.
Many socially prescribed activities are run by voluntary and community organisations. These organisations are vital in the way they connect people with services and activities that make a difference.
“The voluntary community sector has a big part to play in supporting people’s health and wellbeing and preventing them from getting to a crisis point.” – Jane Hartley, National Academy for Social Prescribing
