We partner with onside advocacy to provide lifestyle advice, social prescribing and wellbeing coaching as part of the Vale of Evesham.
What is social prescribing?
Social prescribing enables a GP to refer you to a link worker. Link workers give people time and focus on what matters to the person as identified through shared decision making or personalised care and support planning.
Social prescribing schemes can involve a variety of activities which are typically provided by voluntary and community sector organisations. Examples include volunteering, arts activities, group learning, gardening, befriending, cookery, healthy eating advice and a range of sports.
Social prescribing particularly works for a wide range of people, including people:
with one or more long-term condition(s); who need support with their mental health; who are lonely or isolated; who have complex social needs which affect their wellbeing.
Recognising that people’s health is determined primarily by a range of social, economic and environmental factors, social prescribing seeks to address people’s needs in a holistic way. It also aims to support individuals to take greater control of their own health.
Lifestyle advice
This service is suitable for patients who would like to make healthy lifestyle changes and need support and guidance on how to achieve them, such as:
- Healthy eating
- Increasing physical activity
- Losing weight
- Stopping Smoking
- Reducing alcohol consumption
- Improving wellbeing
The service can include one to one or group-based sessions using behavioural change and motivational interviewing techniques to make lasting, positive changes to their lifestyle. We help to set health goals and create practical plans with the patient to help them achieve these changes.
Wellbeing
This service is appropriate for patients presenting with mild mental health difficulties, such as:
- Stress and anxiety
- Self-esteem issues
- Grief
- Sleep problems
- Low mood
- Panic attacks
- Anger management
This is a set programme consisting of up to 6 one to one sessions where patients have the opportunity to explore a range of evidence-based strategies and tools to be able to manage their own mental health issues.
This service is not suitable for patients with a history of chronic or more complex mental health issues or patients experiencing crisis.
Mental Health
The role works across the interface between Primary Care, Wellbeing Team, and Mental Health Services to provide advice and support, assessment, treatment, education, and problem-solving approaches.
The role also aims to improve the experience for our patients with mental health needs who would otherwise have seen a GP. The focus will be providing continuous assessment and treatment to people with mental health difficulties. This will include recovery co-ordination and care management functions, liaison with statutory and non-statutory organisations.
We currently work with:
- Jayne Dean – Care Co-ordinator
- Jane Hooley – Mental Health
- Sarah Binns – Wellbeing