10 Benefits of Connecting Health and Housing through Digital Social Prescribing
Over the last year, we’ve partnered with housing associations throughout the UK to develop innovative social prescribing initiatives using our unique and award winning digital platform.
Our forward-thinking customers are playing a pivotal role in connecting housing and health, with a growing number of associations working to step up and pilot new approaches that use digital technology to support, connect and measure the impact of community engagement in health and wellness.
Digital social prescribing gives housing associations the ability to implement, scale and measure the social prescribing model of care to reduce health inequalities, but how can it do this and by what means? Here’s what we’ve found thanks to working with our customers and social prescribing champions in the housing sector:
1.Quick and easy referral
Enables housing and community officers to quickly and easily refer residents to social prescribing activities in their local areas
2. Empower neighbourhood coaches
Build the capacity of support staff as coaches in neighbourhoods, reducing the time spent on admin and freeing up more time to support residents
3.More than health service referrals
Neighbourhood Coaches can make social prescribing referrals to a range of community providers including money advice services or employability skills support in under 60 seconds
4. Track and monitor impact
Key stakeholders can track and monitor the impact of a referral in real time, which allows for accurate reporting and quantifiable metrics
5. Strengthen partner relationships
Strengthen relationships with other partners to refer patients through to social prescribing activities and increase the number of residents accessing and engaging with internal and external provider programmes
6. Boost resident engagement
Engage more residents in accessing and engaging in community programmes and services that enhance their health and wellbeing and general quality of life
7. Personalised programmes
Develop personalised social prescribing programmes that suit the needs of your communities
8. Easily establish ROI
Measure the impact of community investments more effectively and efficiently than ever before
9. Calculate value
Make significant strides in calculating the health and social value of the role that Housing Associations play in alleviating the social and economic burden on the health and social care system
10. Identify risks and trends
Identify resident health trends, health risk hot spots, gaps in service provision and opportunities by location via reports
Health inequalities are estimated to cost the NHS around £20 billion a year and cuts in funding mean that public services continue to face strain, making the health and well-being services provided by housing associations increasingly vital.
Now is the time to think about innovation, embrace digital and raise aware of the many benefits of social prescribing in housing and how it can improve health and well-being for millions of residents across the UK.
Elemental Social Prescribing People
