Today is national Social Prescribing Day – an annual celebration of the effect social prescribing can have on people’s health and wellbeing.
Today is Social Prescribing Day
What is Social Prescribing?
Social prescribing gives people time to talk, one to one, with a trained healthy lives advisor to come up with a plan of action together, to help improve health and wellbeing concerns and put the person back in charge of their life.
Many things affect your health and wellbeing. GPs tell us that a lot of people visit them feeling isolated or lonely, or they might be stressed out by work, money and housing problems.
Sometimes it’s the stress of managing different long-term conditions. Some people would like to make lifestyle changes such as being more active or losing weight. Your GP and other referring health care professionals can refer you to Social Prescribing. Your Healthy Lives advisor will listen to you and put you in touch with the people and activities that might help you to feel better.
Your Healthy Lives advisor might introduce you to a community group, a new activity or a local club, or they might help you find advice or debt counselling. They might just help you find information and guidance: a bit of inside knowledge on your situation or what local resources there are. They could even support you to create something new such as a gardening club, a fishing group, a ‘men’s shed’ or knit and knatter group.
Social prescribing can help you to have more control over your own health and find ways to improve how you feel in a way that suits you.
Studies show that people get better and feel better faster than those treated with medicine alone. And because it works, it’s happening more and more – including here in Shropshire.
We offer both an adults and a children and young people’s service.
How do I access social prescribing?
Adults can access the service through referral from their GP and certain practitioners in health and social care, the voluntary sector and other partners. Children from age 11 can access, through a referral form, their GP, school or other professional.
You can also self-refer to adults social prescribing by completing the self referral form or by calling 0345 678 9028 Monday to Friday (9am to 3pm) and selecting the self-referral to social prescribing option.
You can also email [email protected] with the subject “Social prescribing self-referral”.
Green Spaces Project
A charity partnership project aiming to build green social prescribing capacity in Shropshire is highlighting the programme’s milestones this Social Prescribing Day. Jointly lead by Energize Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin and Shropshire Wildlife Trust, the Green Spaces Project explores and promotes the health benefits of nature-based activities at a system-wide level, thanks to funding from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.
The project recently released several new videos focused on local nature-based activity providers, with the aim of reassuring and giving confidence to individuals who have been prescribed a green session with one of these providers. The videos cover activities at Attingham Park, Crowsmill Craft Centre, and with Get Out Get Arty, and highlight how spending time connecting with nature helps to boost wellbeing.
The Green Spaces Project videos can be viewed here: Green Social Prescribing
