South Dublin County Partnership Social Prescribing Case Study

How South Dublin County Partnership is using digital to tackle social isolation and loneliness during COVID 19

Backround

South Dublin County Partnership (SDCP) is a local development company in South Dublin County, Ireland. The community and voluntary sector organisation develops and delivers projects to tackle poverty and social exclusion in the area through working together with local groups and partner organisations to address the issues that matter most.Its aim is to make South Dublin County a place where people of all backgrounds and abilities can realise their full potential within thriving communities.

In 2018 as part of their Health and Wellbeing Strategy, SDCP launched a partnership with Elemental Software to develop a pilot social prescribing project, funded by Healthy Ireland and the Social Inclusion and Activation Programme, which enabled GPs within two neighbourhoods to make instant referrals into its services.

Smiling great-grandmother talking by smartphone

The Challenge

SDCP’s social prescribing project, Get Well…Connected, was developed for people over 18 years of age in South Dublin who found they needed additional support for wider health and well-being needs identified by their GP. It is specifically designed for people who may feel lonely, socially isolated, anxious, depressed or in need of other forms of social support.

A number of objectives were set around the challenge to:

Improve connections between the health and community sectors
Reduce pressure on clinical services
Improve wellbeing

“I’m on the software all the time. It’s really easy to use, and, as a former nurse, I find the measuring tools invaluable. I ask people if they have concerns at the beginning when they are referred to me and at the end so that I can measure myself on whether I’m meeting their concerns and what services I can refer them into to meet their needs.

- Deirdre Ruane Social Prescribing Coordinator, South Dublin Count Partnership

THE Solution

Using Elemental’s social prescribing platform, referrals are made by two GP surgeries through to SDCP’s social prescribing coordinator, who’s role it is to work with anyone referred into the service to assess their needs and work together to look at the activities and programmes that could help to support their wellbeing. This could range from taking part in monthly walking groups, park runs and social clubs, to gardening clubs, counselling and holistic therapies.

This could range from taking part in monthly walking groups, park runs and social clubs, to gardening clubs, counselling and holistic therapies. Elemental’s platform also enabled SDCP to record and monitor all interventions with social prescribing clients, with an important feature being the mapping of services and resources including a geographical map that allowed them to identify how accessible services are to individual clients.

Case Study: South Dublin County Partnership partner with Elemental to enhance their Social Prescribing Programme

How South Dublin County Partnership is using digital to tackle social isolation and loneliness during COVID 19

Backround

The Challenge

A number of objectives were set around the challenge to:

THE Solution

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