Sing, bake, dig... yourself HAPPY!
Want a way to feel mentally (and physically) better that doesn’t involve pills? Social prescribing, from baking to swimming groups, is having a moment. Here’s what you need to know…
Don’t be surprised if, the next time you or one of your friends visits the GP because you’re feeling anxious or depressed, instead of handing you a prescription for medication, they refer you on for something very different indeed: a dance class, cookery club, gardening group, choir or other non-medical intervention.
Social prescribing, or ‘lifestyle medicine’, is the current buzz phrase in healthcare and is part of a more integrated approach that is set to prioritise being and staying well. Health Secretary Matt Hancock outlined his determination to make social prescribing a central plank of the NHS 10-year plan as part of a new focus on prevention. He also announced the establishment of a National Academy for Social Prescribing to support GPS and other frontline health workers. This follows on from the promise of a £4.5m cash injection to fund social-prescribing schemes, plus an additional £1.8m for community projects, as part of the government’s strategy for tackling loneliness.
It is about understanding how our wider lives affect, and are affected by, our health. ‘Many people who come through the surgery door have problems that can’t be solved by pills, surgery or medical interventions alone. By addressing these, social prescribing empowers people to take control of their health and wellbeing,’ explains GP Dr Mike Dixon OBE, one of the earliest pioneers of social prescribing. As National Clinical Lead for Social Prescription (NHS England), he is responsible for ensuring that all GP practices offer a social prescription service by 2023. WHAT’S NEW?
Although touted as the next big thing, in many ways social prescribing is a return to an older model of healthcare that existed at the start of the NHS when we knew our GPS and they knew us and our families. As Frome GP Dr Helen Kingston – another leading light in the social-prescribing movement – observes, ‘It is all about connecting with others, something we’ve lost in an era of endless staring at our mobile phones. It turns the conversation around from what the doctor can do to fix you to what you – with support – can achieve yourself.’
While a few enlightened GPS have been offering it for years, the current agenda puts this on a more organised footing. There are now nine social-prescribing regional networks working together to share best practice. There’s even a weekly social-prescribing hour on Twitter (#Socialpreshour) for movers and shakers of the social-prescribing world – or anyone else wanting to join the conversation. HOW DOES IT WORK?
If you and/or your GP think you would benefit from a social prescription, you will be referred to a non-medical go-between – variously called a link worker, health navigator, health connector or health trainer – who gets to know you and helps you draw up an action plan tailored to your needs. There are 330 of these throughout England and the number is rising. The ‘prescription’ could be any number of things: support to help make life changes; encouragement to
Evidence shows that social prescribing can ease anxiety
sign up for a course; help to find a yoga class, baking group, art class or other activity; or help accessing advice on practical issues such as money, housing or legal problems.
WHAT IS IT GOOD FOR?
There’s compelling evidence that social prescribing can help lift depression and ease anxiety, as well as make people who feel lonely, isolated or have a chronic health problem feel more connected. ‘The great thing is its flexibility,’ comments GP Professor Sir Sam Everington OBE, another social prescribing trailblazer, whose Londonbased Healthy Living Centre with its cafe, gardens and myriad activity groups opened more than 20 years ago and is now a blueprint for successful social-prescribing services.
He adds, ‘Doctors and patients are “addicted” to each other and to the 10-minute consultation that ends with a prescription as the solution. With social prescribing, there are 101 different potential solutions.’
POSITIVE OUTCOMES?
People who have experienced social prescribing speak of it glowingly. In terms of hard outcomes, according to research from the University of Westminster, it is linked with a 28% fall in visits to the GP, fewer A&E attendances and also fewer referrals to outpatients.
However, it’s early days and it’s likely that its full impact will not be felt for some years. Meanwhile, research leader Dr Marie Polley, co-chair of the Social Prescribing Network, observes, ‘Being involved in the community gives life meaning and purpose. People report an upturn in confidence and less depression and anxiety. Aches and pains often get better or become more manageable.’ And surely that has to be a better option than a pill for every ill.