Elemental Software celebrates two years of success at NHS Expo
This year’s Healthcare and Innovation Expo in Manchester marks a somewhat sentimental milestone for Elemental Software as it’s the place where we first launched our social prescribing platform two years ago.
Our launch in 2016 was the culmination of years of experience of community development work in Derry, Northern Ireland, during which we recognised that, despite millions of pounds being spent on preventing conditions like obesity, diabetes and depression, significant health inequalities still remain.
The people that needed the most support to manage their own health and wellbeing were often not aware or engaging in the programmes and services on their doorstep that could transform their health.
We developed and launched our cloud-based platform to tackle this challenge and make it easier for health and social care professionals to refer patients to activities and support in their local areas, engage them in their own health and wellbeing and crucially, to be able to measure the impact and difference that these activities are making to their lives.
The beginning of a social prescribing revolution
For us looking back, this felt like it was the beginning of a nation wide social prescribing revolution, and since our launch, we’ve gone from strength to strength as social prescribing becomes increasingly recognised as a real alternative to clinical treatments.
We are now working with a number of sectors from public health, housing, the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector and local government to deliver a wide range of projects to support local communities to live healthier lives.
A key achievement this year was working with the Greater London Authority to co-design a vision for social prescribing across London, due to be launched in autumn 2018. As part of our involvement in the programme we were commissioned to research two reports looking at the role of the VCSE sector and the role of digital in mainstreaming social prescribing.
Other achievements we’re super proud of
Becoming the first social prescribing technology company to partner with EMIS Health, the UK’s largest clinical systems provider
We’re also launching the UK’s first fully connected EMIS/Elemental Clinical allowing over 50 EMIS GP practices in England to make, manage and report on the uptake and impact of referrals via our social prescription connector between EMIS Web and Elemental. The feedback has been fantastic and it’s proving that by making it simple, GPs and other health and social care professionals will, can and are embracing social prescribing.
Expanding our international reach
With partnerships with Johnson & Johnson and Vertical to support the Baby Box programme for new mums through our digital platform and working with the Finland Innovation Agency to introduce social prescribing to all health districts in the country.
Winner,winner...
We were announced as the winner of the West Midland Mayor’s Technology Competition to help shape social prescribing in the West Midlands.
Hosted our first Elemental Social Club
We hosted a meet-up to celebrate the power of social prescribing and invited social prescribing champions from all over the UK. It was a huge success with planning already in place for the next Elemental Social Club.
Growing community wellbeing
There are over 40 live sites where our digital technology is being embedded and used so that better community wellbeing programmes can be delivered.
Over 250 locations delivering social prescribing
We’re the social prescribing platform of choice across health, housing, community and local authority in the UK and Ireland.
Over 300 GPs now able to make and manage safe and easy referrals
And they love how simple we have made it and that they can if they wish, see what the follow up action was after they made their referral.
We're helping to shape and inform the future landscape
We’re being asked more and more to help inform the scaling and future of social prescribing. We’ve been working with Finland to help with their health and social care reform and were brought on board to help the Mayor of London create his vision for social prescribing just before the summer. The Mayor of the West Midlands, Andy Street, also chose us to help the West Midlands become a place where health and innovation benefit vulnerable communities.
Chosen as sole digital provider for £3 miliion Big Lottery Funded project
This month, we were chosen as the sole digital provider for a £3 million Big Lottery Fund project aimed at tackling social isolation in Northern Ireland and Scotland. This will see hundreds of Link Workers based in 25 Healthy Living Centres across NI and Scotland using our software to massively reduce admin time and better connect their people into the community.
We're continually listening
To communities and those commissioning, designing and delivering social prescribing programmes so we can make it even easier than ever to engage more people in your community in self care in the coming weeks and months
Our team and our customer base is continuing to grow
From three talented team members IN 2017 to twelve over the last year. We’ve also more than tripled the number of customers using our platform to drive forward social prescribing initiatives, from housing associations and Clinical Commissioning Groups to GP surgeries and local authorities.
Our Co Founders are regularly being recognised and rewarded
From being recognised among The Most Influential Women in Tech to being announced as Maserati Top 100 Entrepreneurs, the awards just keep coming for Co Founders, Leeann Monk-Özgül and Jennifer Neff.
Sharing a vision
Our core team along with our incredibly experienced board and group of advisors are committed to our vision of connecting people, building communities and improving lives through social prescribing. As part of this we launched Social Prescribing Hour, a dedicated online conversation about social prescribing to facilitate conversation, debate and ideas sharing.
Last year we were also offered the TED platform to speak about social prescribing and we will soon be launching our Elemental Social Club, a series of regional events across the country to bring together leaders and influencers to explore new and innovate ways to mainstream social prescribing.
Come and say hello at Stand 258
We are delighted to be back at NHS Expo this year where it all began for us two years ago. Our commitment to demonstrating the difference that social prescribing can make to tackling the most challenging of health issues is stronger than ever.
Our award-winning team will be at Stand 258 ready to discuss measuring the impact of social prescribing and how digitally mature your social prescribing is and can be.
Serena Terry
