Tameside and Glossop Integrated Care Foundation

Recognising the benefits that social prescribing can have on secondary care, Tameside and Glossop Integrated Care Foundation Trust (T&G ICFT) have launched a social prescribing programme that enables secondary care professionals in Tameside and Glossop to effectively make one-click social prescribing referrals to The Bureau, a local VCSE organisation that provides a range of community services aimed at improving wellbeing, and Action Together, another VCSE organisation that provides services to thousands of people in Oldham and Tameside.

Using Elemental’s Core social prescribing platform, The Bureau and Action Together regularly receive referrals from secondary care professionals, such as community paramedics, physiotherapists, practice nurses and stroke specialists to their services including community activities, befriending programmes, life skills workshops and healthy minds classes.

Secondary care professionals can track the status of referrals at different stages, enriching the conversations they have with individuals and allowing a seamless pathway to and from secondary and community care.

A major benefit for T&G ICFT is that they now have the ability to access, report and showcase detailed data analytics which helps to shape social prescribing services and evidence outcomes.

1/3 of referrals they receive come from secondary care, mainly from their Adult Social Care team. The majority of referrals made are for mild-moderate mental health.

West Lancashire CCG

In Skemersdale, Community Specialist Paramedics are using social prescribing to empower people to enhance their own health and wellbeing through community-based programmes and services.

Kieran Potts said “As a Community Specialist Paramedic, I work for the North West Ambulance Service, linking in with the Skelmersdale Social Prescribing team and West Lancashire CCG. I am regularly finding that patients I see with long term medical conditions not only require medical support, but also social support. As part of our joint working, I have witnessed collaboration of the highest standard, focusing on providing holistic health and social care for our West Lancashire population.”

By working together and liaising with other health and social care colleagues, Skemersdale Social Prescribing team have been able to reduce calls for a particular patient to the ambulance service by 92% and subsequently, the patient is experiencing a positive shift in her physical and mental wellbeing.