Social Prescribing Day
Social Prescribing Tool Helping to Improve Health and Wellbeing in Local Communities
A new social prescribing app is helping to improve the health and wellbeing of local communities across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough thanks to funding from the local NHS. Social prescribing is a way of actively connecting people to activities, groups and services that can improve their health and wellbeing.
The Joy app is a social prescribing tool aimed at improving the health and wellbeing of our local population. Since its launch six months ago across local GP surgeries, adult social care and in partnership with local voluntary and community groups over 5,000 people have been referred and been able to access nearly 300 local services on offer.
Top reasons for referral have included mental health, weight management, loneliness and managing a long-term health condition. Among those referred 80% have said their wellbeing has improved.
The app, which is available to health and social care professionals and community organisations, allows them to refer patients and clients to a range of non-medical local services such as exercise classes, community groups, and counselling services to help with these concerns.
Charlie Chittenden, Social Prescribing Link Worker at Jenner Healthcare in Whittlesey (nominated for Link Worker of the Year) said:
“Much of what I do is empowering the people I work with. My role is to listen, to sit with someone, and work through their concerns and support them to prioritise and manage any problems. I reassure them they are not alone; we could all be in a similar situation.
“Using the Joy app means I have a range of local community options available at my fingertips, and by bringing people together locally – even if it’s just sitting down with someone like them in the village for tea and cake – that sense of community and not being alone can make the world of difference to someone’s health and wellbeing."
Kit Connick, Chief Officer Partnershops and Strategy at NHS Cambridgeshire & Peterborough, part of Cambridgeshire & Peterborough ICS, which has supported the development of the tool, celebrates the positive impact the app and its support to social prescribers is having on the health of local communities:
“We know that social isolation, poor housing, and poverty can all contribute to poor health outcomes. By investing in social prescribing tools such as the Joy app, we are investing in the health and wellbeing of our communities. We are proud to be working with our colleagues in health, local government, and across the community seeing the positive impact it is already having.”
Patrick Harding, CEO of Joy, added: “Joy exists to add 10 years to life expectancy by addressing the social determinants of health. We know people don’t live in hospitals; they live in communities. In fact, 80% of health outcomes are determined by non-clinical factors and your postcode can have more impact on your health than your genetic code.
“We are delighted to be working across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough and playing a part in Social Prescribing movement which is helping tens of thousands of people to feel better and lead healthier lives.”
The social prescribing tool is part of a larger effort by Cambridgeshire & Peterborough ICS to promote health equity and address the social determinants of health. By connecting individuals with resources in their local communities, we want to create healthier and more connected communities for our local people.