University of Salford partner with Elemental to promote newly developed occupational therapy social prescribing planning and assessment tool
University of Salford partner with Elemental to promote newly developed occupational therapy social prescribing planning and assessment tool
Salford Social Prescribing Hub, in the University of Salford has developed The Salford Social Prescribing Planning and Assessment Tool aimed at helping link workers to design an Occupational Therapy assessment and referral process through a more person-centred approach.
Underpinned by evidence and grounded by theory
The tool and its underlying model are based on a review of academic literature on both social prescribing and occupational therapy, as well as interviews with a range of social prescribing practitioners and managers.
The theory underpinning the approach is Occupational Science, with further inspiration from the discipline of Occupational Therapy. This means there is an assumption that in order for a social prescription to be effective there must be a careful assessment of the person, the environment in which they function, and the prescribed activity. Only when those elements align will the benefit of the prescription be realised.
The tool provides a framework for a conversation, with suggested questions that identify what is meaningful and useful to the person, resulting in a co-designed and more personalised plan that’s right for them.
Cormac Lawler of the Salford Social Prescribing Hub says: “We’ve really enjoyed developing this tool and training to share the value of occupation in social prescribing. Offering the tool through the Elemental platform is a big development for us, and we look forward to working with a range of new organisations to explore how it can enrich their practice.”
Benefits of the Salford Social Prescribing Planning and Assessment Tool
- Help identify inappropriate referrals, and/or enable link workers to refer to services for people with more complex needs where appropriate.
- Provides a framework for a conversation, with suggested questions that identify what is meaningful and useful to the person, resulting in a co-designed plan that’s right for them.
- Can be used by Link Workers without any prior knowledge of Occupational Science as full training is provided by the University of Salford
Jennifer Neff, CEO and Co-founder of Elemental said “ What the University of Salford have developed represents everything that effective social prescribing should be about, personalisation. When Link Workers are presented with patients with more complex needs, a tool like this can really enable them to co-create care plans that aren’t just off the shelf, but suited to their needs of their patients at a time when they need it. The research that underpins the development of this tool also emphasises the importance of the role that Occupational Therapists play in social prescribing. We’re delighted to now be able to offer this tool through our Core platform, and we can’t wait to see how it develops.”
Find out more
If you’d like to avail of the Salford Social Prescribing Planning and Assessment Tool and training, get in touch or pop your details below and a member of our team will be in touch with more information shortly.
Serena Terry
