Find out more about social prescribing services in your area.
What is social prescribing?
Patient visit their GPs for a range of different reasons and sometimes these issues can be caused by non-medical matters such as loneliness, anxiety, unemployment, illness or debt.
Social prescribing link workers work in partnership with GP surgeries and can help people to access appropriate support in the community, to help them make positive changes to their personal wellbeing.
What can social prescribing link workers help with?
- getting people to focus on their own priorities and the things that affect their wellbeing
- supporting people to take more control of their health
- introducing people to groups and activities in their community
How can social prescribing link workers help patients?
Social prescribing link workers can offer support and signposting for a variety of non-clinical interventions such as:
- people struggling to adapt or cope with chronic conditions that can’t be addressed by clinical consultation
- mental health and emotional wellbeing
- relationship difficulties
- domestic abuse
- loneliness and isolation
- low self esteem
- poor housing
- financial issues, including benefits
- carers
- bereavement
- health goals e.g. weight management, healthy eating, stop smoking, physical activity
How do I access this service?
Social prescribing is open to patients aged 18 and over.
Typically, your GP or healthcare professional will identify if you have a non-clinical need that a social prescriber can assist with, and refer your directly to the social prescribing team.
If, however, you are aged 18 or over and think that this service is suitable for you, you can self-refer by contacting the social prescribing team via: