Social Prescribing

The aim of social prescribing is to connect people with community groups, organisations and statutory services for practical and emotional support via the support of a Social Prescribing Coordinator, with the overall purpose of improving health and wellbeing.

More About Social Prescribing

The Social Prescribing Coordinator works in collaboration with the person over an average of 8 weeks to address their needs and goals using a personalised coaching and co-production approach. The focus is on ‘what matters to the person’ rather than ‘what is the matter with the person’.

The community and voluntary organisations and services that people are referred to are broad and diverse and depend on the existing options available locally. These include physical activity initiatives like Parkrun or walking groups, reading groups/ books for health, library services, stress prevention/management programmes, self-help, adult education, financial advice services, men’s sheds, community gardening, arts and creativity and many more.

The Social Prescribing Service also provides a range of programmes where you can meet others in a safe and fun environment.

A referral from any healthcare professional/other professional or self-referral into the service

An intervention between the service user and a social prescribing coordinator.

Supporting the service user to access local groups or services through discussion and joint decision making

Measuring the impact of the social prescribing on the person, the wider community and the health service.

Who is Social Prescribing for?

Social prescribing is for adults over the aged of 18 years, including (but not exclusively) people

• with one or more long term conditions

• who need support with their mental health

• who are lonely or isolated

• who have complex social needs which affect their health and well-being.

It is important to highlight that social prescribing is not a replacement for adequate clinical services, nor is it a social work or counselling service.