Meet a Social Prescriber!
Becky Sultana is a Social Prescriber in Poole.
Hi Becky, thank you so much for talking to us today. I wonder if you could tell us a little about yourself?
Hello! My name is Becky, I’m a Social Prescriber for Poole North Primary Care Network in Dorset. I support patients registered in 4 GP practices covering Canford Heath, Oakdale, Creekmoor, Broadstone, Corfe Mullen and Merley. I have lived and worked in the area for most of my life. When I’m not working you’ll either find me running, practising yoga, painting/drawing and travelling. I also like to try new things – ballroom dancing, pottery, flower arranging – just to name a few! Let’s just say I like to keep busy!
This may well be an impossible question, but what does an average day look like for you as a social prescriber?
The role is quite holistic, challenging yet rewarding as we support a wide range of patients with various needs. I spend most of my time based in GP practices, and when I am not directly in contact with patients, I make effort to work with the community whether it’s other local voluntary organisations or services that aim to support people especially to promote positive health and wellbeing, as well as reduce social isolation. It’s also important to try and have a good presence at work to ensure colleagues know I am available and to remind them on how social prescribing can benefit them as well as patients, as this tends to be done during GP meetings etc.
What has been your most significant accomplishment in your role?
I joined the team as their very first Social Prescriber and it has certainly been a learning curve for all. Having been a Social Prescriber for just over two years and with my past work experiences I have been able to use existing knowledge, skills such as local support in the community, working with other organisations as well as taking the opportunity to learn new things to really be a good Social Prescriber. I have been able to work closely with voluntary support groups to support many during the pandemic, whether it’s helping patients attend their appointments, helping with shopping/prescriptions, befriending and also highlighting gaps in services/support and to try and create groups and new services to support those in need. Another successful project was creating a ‘new parent’ pack for our patients which was based around information on local groups, services and also included some items for their new child and self-care items for the parents!
What is the biggest challenge you currently face in your role?
I think the biggest challenge goes without saying is the pandemic. For almost 2 years many of us weren’t able to see other family or friends and many more of us became even more isolated. We had to adapt quite quickly and work closely with outside organisations to deliver support safely and successfully.
What advice might you give to people who want to find out more about social prescribing?
The Kings’ Fund and NHS England have a lot of information about Social Prescribing. I would highly encourage to speak to your own GP surgery and reach out to local VCSE (Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise) organisations - remember there are no such things as silly questions!
What would you like to see happen in the world of social prescribing moving forwards?
We need a healthy and adequately resourced voluntary sector moving forward which Social Prescribing relies on. Working with communities has been a huge part of our role and will allow Social Prescribers to focus on harnessing the power of holistic social prescribing based on ‘what matters to me, not what is the matter to me’. I would personally like to see us working more closely with VCSE sector and feel more part of the community but also utilise resources and build in house support centred around non-medical needs such as support groups, using our patient participation groups to support vulnerable people in the community. I would like to see more of the way of educating all, whether it’s colleagues, local authorities, local social groups as I feel we all do a bit of social prescribing without realising!
If someone was considering becoming a social prescriber or a link worker, what would you say to them?
There is a lot of information available about Social Prescribing! You’ll learn a lot, help people and develop knowledge, skills, and interpersonal skills to become confident and change people’s lives for the better. It is important to have good listening and communication skills. Most importantly to become a Social Prescriber, it’s more about life experience, personal qualities and values that are more important than the qualifications! Once you are in a role you should receive the training and development to support you.
Meet a Social Prescriber!
Jade Topham is a Social Prescriber in Southampton.
Hi Jade, thank you so much for talking to us. I wonder if you might be able to tell us a little about yourself?
Hi! I'm Jade, one of the social prescribers who work across several of the GP surgeries across the city. I mainly cover the University-based practices due to my previous experience studying, living, working in and around the University of Southampton and specialist interest in wellbeing and mental health. I graduated with my degree in Psychology from the University of Southampton and I have been in my role since Jan 2020. When I'm not at work, you can find me doing archery, climbing or crocheting.
This may well be an impossible question, but what does an average day look like for you as a social prescriber?
Good question! Each day is different - the role changes a lot as the service demand evolves, so we are always up to a wide variety of bits. We are mainly clinic based, meaning I will spend my time bouncing between surgeries and seeing patients. This can be face to face, telephone or at home depending on what works best for the individual. I also attend social prescribing events, talks and conferences as well as practice meetings where I educate and advise GP staff on social prescribing and signposting. On top of this, I also assist with the COVID vaccination clinics.
North West Social Prescribing Network: https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57d2317e579fb3d5c112ad5a/1525096477604-KAS4JQJ1C45BUI5ZXCO9/Social+Prescribing+Options+Flow+Chart.png
What has been the most significant accomplishment in your role?
When I started, the social prescribing service did not exist. I am very humbled to have played a role in creating and developing the service we have today, especially as we launched the service just days before the first national lockdown was announced, meaning we had to completely reshuffle the service provision to suit the changing needs of both practices and patients.
What advice might you give to people who want to find out more about social prescribing?
Don't feel you have to have a plan if you do want to come to us - We can help you figure that out! NHS England refer to some great sources of information if you are looking to find out more, but you can also speak directly to your local GP surgery about the services they offer, as well as looking for any Volunteering, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) social prescribing schemes within the community.
What would you like to see happen in the world of social prescribing moving forwards?
Just within our city we are seeing our GP teams grow with additional roles ranging from Physiotherapists to Health and Wellbeing Coaches. Social prescribing is a way of linking these services together and improving both the health and wellbeing of the patients as they move through each pathway. I would like to see the knowledge of these additional pathways increase, and for these teams to continue to grow and develop to create a service that empowers patients to choose the best pathway for them.
If someone was considering becoming a social prescriber or a link worker, what would you say to them?
Do it! The role is so dynamic and each day is different. The delight in seeing someone's situation change with a little support and guidance is unrivalled. You'll develop excellent communication and problem-solving skills while working in a new and advancing field of health and wellbeing.
What is the Social Prescribing Champion Scheme?
Welcome back to the SP blog!
In last week’s post, we spoke to you about the nitty-gritty details of social prescribing and the evidence we have for it. Today, we’ll be chatting about the SP scheme, how we work and what we do, so keep reading to learn more!
Where it all began…
The SP scheme was set up in 2017, to educate and raise awareness of social prescribing through 4 main aims:
Since our scheme was set up by students for students, we felt that we could accurately recognise the gaps in the university curriculum when it came to social prescribing. Through our National Social Prescribing Student Champion Scheme, we recruited passionate students from across the country. It was now time to achieve our goal of increasing social prescribing awareness & integrate SP into the university curriculum!
So who’s part of the team?
Since we had big dreams, we required an efficient structure and proactive teamworking. The scheme has rapidly grown over the past 4 years and we’ve definitely adapted accordingly!
First up, we created a National Core Team, to oversee and coordinate the scheme’s wider activities. Next, we formed Regional Leads to look after and advise individual Student Champions, who are responsible for hosting local SP events at their respective universities, as seen on the map below.
Although the scheme originally started with medical students, we’re aware of other professions wanting to get involved in the SP movement. Therefore, in recent months we have extended our fantastic team to include an AHP Branch, so watch this space for more exciting news!
How can I get involved?
Well, this is an excellent question! From being a Student Champion (applications are open until 8th November 2021) to attending our Annual Social Prescribing Conference, there are plenty of ways to get involved with the SP scheme.
We’re currently running a webinar series, where you can learn more about social prescribing and our partners (NASP and NHSE). You can attend local events at your university and even get involved online via our Twitter account and website!
What’s next?
Enjoy what you read today? To stay up to date with our activities, follow our socials:
Twitter: @SP_champScheme
Facebook: NHS Social Prescribing Student Champion Scheme
Email: socialprescribing@collegeofmedicine.org.uk
Website: spforall.org
What is social prescribing?
A commonly-held misconception is that social prescribing is when GPs prescribe exercise, fresh air or activity groups to patients to supplement or replace traditional medication. While this is incredibly valuable, social prescribing is so much more than this.
Social prescribing is a means of enabling health and social care professionals to connect patients to link workers who can provide non-clinical advice and support to maximise the holistic care of patients.
Link workers refer people to a range of local non-clinical services all aimed at improving their health and wellbeing. Link workers will often be experts in knowing local charities, organisations and groups that can support people with specific non-medical needs.
A person may come into a GP practice, for example, and the GP may recognise that their needs are related to socioeconomic or psychosocial issues. They may be isolated, in unfit accommodation or struggling at home. These issues can’t be fixed by medicine alone. This is where a link worker comes in.
So, how does it really work?
The Process of Social Prescribing: image adapted from Elemental Software image found at https://elementalsoftware.co/social-prescribing/what-is-social-prescribing/
1. The GP can refer suitable people to the link worker, who has time and local expertise to help improve a person’s non-medical health. Health and wellbeing is determined by social, economic and environmental factors, so link workers have an extremely important role in primary prevention of a huge number of illnesses.
2. The link worker will arrange an initial session with the person.
3. This initial session will be used to gather basic information about the person – focussing on what matters to them. Social prescribing gives people a voice and a choice.
4. From there, a social prescription will be co-created between the person and the link worker. The focus on co-design, personalisation of care and shared decision-making is key to social prescribing.
5. From there, further contact will be made with the person and any new plans can be made.
6. What the evidence suggests so far is that this leads to reduced isolation, increased empowerment and an overall reduction in health risk.
There are now over 1200 link workers in post across the UK, doing amazing work. GPs report that at least 20% of all patients they see present with non-medical conditions, such as isolation, debt or housing issues, and a further 20% live with a condition where medicines don’t have a proven role. These are the people social prescribing is designed to help.
So, what is the evidence?
Evidence so far suggests that social prescribing has a number of benefits. A 2014 study called The Social and Economic Impact of the Rotherham Social Prescribing Pilot was one of the first to look at the impact of social prescribing. It found that there was a decrease in the number of patients seeking hospital care. This translated to a 20% reduction in inpatient admissions and A&E attendances.
It also found that there were huge improvements in patient wellbeing and self-management, both incredibly important metrics. Finally, the study found huge economic benefits. These positive impacts have been echoed by further studies and patient testimonies, so it will be fascinating to see further research as it is released.
Resources used:
https://socialprescribingacademy.org.uk/
https://socialprescribingacademy.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/NASP_strategic-plan_web.pdf
https://www.kingsfund.org.uk/publications/social-prescribing
https://westminsterresearch.westminster.ac.uk/download/f3cf4b949511304f762bdec137844251031072697ae511a462eac9150d6ba8e0/1340196/Making-sense-of-social-prescribing%202017.pdf
https://www4.shu.ac.uk/research/cresr/sites/shu.ac.uk/files/social-economic-impact-rotherham.pdf
https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/social-prescribing-summary-guide-updated-june-20.pdf
https://elementalsoftware.co/social-prescribing/what-is-social-prescribing/