Social prescribing- a good use of resources?

Thank you for your responses!

This isn’t anything new. In my area we have a large community garden / activities centre/ nature reserve which is. a registered charity and is funded from local boroughs, mental health and dementia charities. People with significant mental illnesses and early onset dementia are referred by health professionals. There are several employees who have health care backgrounds, plus several volunteers. This garden has been featured several times on TV including Gardeners’ World. There are ongoing studies as to the health and economic benefits, but all the evidence points to beneficial effects of the garden and the other activities on offer to the co workers ( as the beneficiaries are called) in terms of reduction in hospitalisation, drug use, increase in well being and so on. GPs in the area are involved in the scheme, indeed a local GP is chair of the Trustees. Such initiatives should be encouraged.,

Growstuff thanks for your response & explanation.
Your local community allotment project sounds amazing.

I think there should be more projects like yours but it can be too easy for the ££ to be mis-used.

As you say, the benefits are huge but not always analysed across different services.

Ro60

In principle yes, get people interacting, feeling they are needed/ wanted & of value.
Opportunities to form new freindships.
Teaches new skills which if they wanted, could lead to employment.
But where exactly would the £50,000 go? How would it be used?

The scheme my friend runs has three paid employees. They also have to pay things like insurance in case anybody has an accident an security, in case anybody wants to steal equipment or growing produce (a big problem). They also pay water rates and for new equipment, green houses, sheds etc plus seeds and new trees. They also pay for broadband and phone expenses for the person who organises the rotas. I'm sure there's more that I've forgotten about. It all works out to a few hundred pounds per person helped but that can be set against the cost of GP appointments, counselling and medication. Some of the people involved have a prison record, so it possibly stops some of them re-offending and I know that when things get back to normal, the idea is to train people to take up paid gardening jobs, so it saves on retraining.

I don't know anything about the canal project, but I do know something about a community allotment project, which a friend has been running for a couple of years.

There are three paid employees (not all full-time) and a site which was bought by the local council. The trust has now received a number of grants, one of which I believe came from the local health service.

Volunteers are referred by social services, GPs, the probationary service and local mental health charities. I believe there are currently about 100 volunteers on the books, who all work for variable hours throughout the week. There's always a queue of people who want to join.

They produce enough to provide some local charities and foodbanks with fresh produce and are allowed to share out and take home any surplus.

The benefits are that people gain social skills from working together and useful gardening skills. Loneliness can itself be a health risk. They are doing physical work, so their fitness improves. Additionally, local charities receive good quality fresh produce. People feel they are doing something useful, which of course they are. I don't know if it's been quantified, but I wouldn't mind betting that some of these people go to the GP less for depression. Having a tangible scheme is so much better than being told by the GP to get out more and get more exercise. It's win/win all round.

Yes, that's true. Maybe the 'being expected' thing might spur people on who might otherwise be nervous about going alone.

I assume that if the patient agreed they would go to the canal trust, wherever it was to join a group enjoying themselves there, probably helping with work needed there or taking part in organised activties.

Many people will not go for a walk,especially alone, just because they are told to, nor just join a knitting group.

Doodlebug no one would be sent on such an activity if they really didn't want to do it.

Lonely,isloated or depressed people have often lost confidence in their social skills. being told to join a specific activity at a specific time and place where they will be expected maya be enough to get them going.

I don't really understand how this sort of thing would work. A doctor could always suggest that a patient go for a walk in the country, or join a knitting group, but that doesn't need a 'scheme' behind it.

If the activities are supervised they would sound to me more like community service than anything, and I would personally hate to be 'sent' to something like that.

A slimming group or exercise class run by the surgery is a different matter, but I don't get the feeling that this is what is being discussed.

In principle yes, get people interacting, feeling they are needed/ wanted & of value.
Opportunities to form new freindships.
Teaches new skills which if they wanted, could lead to employment.
But where exactly would the £50,000 go? How would it be used?

If it works and improves the health and wellbeing of those receiving it - why not?

Why the Nottingham and Beeston Canal? i would imagine because it is the nearest facility that was willing and able to offer the kind of activities the person in charge of this programme required in a way and at a time they required it.

foxie, I think you are confusing cause and effect. The choice isn't between the Canal trust and helping those with eating disorders. It is between spending money on social prescribing and eating disorders.

It could be that social prescribing would help people in the categories you mention. In which case, if living in the Nottingham area they could be directed to the Thriving Communities project for inclusion on one of their schemes, that may or may not involve the Canal trust.

I assume these schemes run elsewhere and they may be of great help to children with mental health problems.

Calendargirl

The gym membership and slimming club fees are a good idea if carried on after the initial free period, but I think a lot drop out as soon as they have to pay.

Our new surgery complex has its own gym . I know 3 women who were able to use the facilities on prescription. When the sessions ended it was hoped that they would transfer to a regular gym. None of them did although finance wasn’t a problem for any of them.

My friend 'prescribes' volunteering in certain circumstances!!

This has been happening round here for a while so probably not the same initiative - or a pilot

I think it is just that they haven't got round to craft groups yet. Once the outdoor therapy become commonplace, indoor craft groups could follow.

I think that the idea is that local people get to decide. We have a craft group locally that is supported from some health funds - it actually meets in a countryside park so win-win!
I think some people think that as a craft group is sedentary, it may be less 'healthy' but ours supports lonely people, and also enables those of us with old-fashioned skills to share with younger people.
Our 'health walks' are also amazingly well supported - in normal times these attract 40-50 people. But again, getting there by bus is difficult. I think some decision-makers think that people who have cars are by definition well-off. That may apply in urban areas, but in rural areas a car is essential.

I think that the choice needs widening.....why is a gardening group ok but a crafting group not

This is a good idea I think, finally accepting the holistic approach to health is a huge step in the right direction. There are many well documented successes with forces veterans suffering from PTSD for example; hands on activities, 'mens sheds', allotments, working on gardens etc., have all been found to benefit the participants and of course, the lands, grounds, allotments themselves. Better than using medical coshes with drugs all the time. Fresh air, companionship, self esteem for a day's work done and enjoyed goes a long way.

Being out in the open air next to water is a win win. Great idea from this council.

The gym membership and slimming club fees are a good idea if carried on after the initial free period, but I think a lot drop out as soon as they have to pay.

I would approach it from a different point of view, and make a lot of simple outdoor resources available to all. For instance, I live in an area with a lot of old industrial towns, but some fantastic countryside. The countryside parks are in theory open to all, but have to charge for car parking (and don't even THINK about trying to get anywhere by bus!). I would like to see a number of free parking vouchers issued, so folk on a limited budget can enjoy the countryside.
I'd actually rather see very good public transport around the area, but I don't live in cloud-cuckoo-land!

It all seems a bit vague, and I would need to know more of the detail before deciding whether or not I agree with spending on a scheme like this.

Is it ‘extra’ money, or is it being diverted from the health budget when people are waiting for long-postponed operations, for example? Who qualifies? Will this be at the doctor’s discretion (so allocated on medical grounds) or will there be a means test? How will success be measured? How many people would £50,000 help?

I would want to know the answers to those questions (and more) before I could form an opinion, but it seems a good idea in principle.

Yes I think that's a good use of funding. I would want to see the results as with anything although often the benefits of this type of support are difficult to quantify.

I have a friend who has been a social prescribe for a group of practices for about 3 years. They have seen great results.

I think it's a good move towards a more holistic approach to health. Especially when mental health concerns are so prevalent. The social connection and time outside will be good for people. As long as those for whom this isn't suitable aren't pressed into it.

Being outdoors in clement weather is good for all of us. Canals are great places - I enjoyed a couple of narrowboat holidays when I was younger. But the organisers will have to be very careful with the beneficiaries, some of whom may not be best adapted to staying upright, and immersion is a risk. Let's hope this doesn't founder under a flurry of ambulance-chasing claims.

Nottingham has the most stunning set of allotments I’ve ever seen, in the middle of one of the most deprived areas of the City. A real community project. I’m going to an open day in June.

I’m not surprised they’re supporting the Canal project. They do seem to be a Council that gives some thought to the well-being of their citizens.