Social prescribing:

mapping community resources

Social Action for Health

September 2013

Social prescribing

Social prescriptions will be written for people who might benefit from social activities of

their choice because they are lonely, isolated, in stress, struggling with poverty.

Social activities: group activity around arts and creativity, physical activity, learning new skills, volunteering, mutual aid, befriending

and self-help, support with employment, benefits, housing, debt, legal advice.

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Mapping social activity

Methodology• 8 week research project• Health Guides, diverse groups talking to

local people at events, festivals, surgeries• Following up• Questionnaire• Contacting surgeries• Informal and formal groups• Database entry of all

Mapping

Progress to date• -225 people completed questionnaire• -21 groups visited• -24 additional groups described• -Made contact with 45 practices • -7 surgeries responded - 4 said they’d

complete GP survey • -3 PPGs visited - many were not meeting

during the 6 week mapping time frame.

• Census data gathered per ward• Yes, but data coded around each

consortium.•  • Coffee mornings held in surgeries• -No, too short notice for surgeries. We

were not able to get into surgeries for outreach sessions. Not even with an introduction from HIAC.

•  • Patient Network consulted• -Yes, twice•  • HIAC advisors consulted.• -Yes at Advisory group.•  • -We have held outreach sessions at

community groups, street festivals, PPGs, churches, Mental Health in-patient wards and schools.

Mapping findings to date• - cross culturally, parks feature repeatedly as an

important community asset • - community hubs such as newsagents and

cafés are an important source of local information

• - churches significant for WB and AC• - statutory services that frequently came up are

libraries, children's centres and GP surgeries• - most people who have spoken to us are from

White British, African Caribbean and Turkish Kurdish backgrounds.