Two more staff to cope with demand for social prescribing
MORE staff have been brought in to cope with high demand for social prescribing services.
The social prescribing initiative was launched in 2021, in a bid to connect people to non-medical support to help improve health and wellbeing.
More than 50 charities, organisations or services have joined the Bailiwick Social Prescribing scheme as quality assured partners, which link workers can socially prescribe to.
Two new link workers, Alex Bowtle and Jo Hollyer-Hill, have joined the team to be able to keep up with the demand as there have been more than 270 referrals so far.
Link worker manager Trish De Carteret is pleased to welcome them.
‘Link workers are the engine room of social prescribing, meeting with individuals, helping to understand their needs and what matters to them,’ she said.
‘They link them with a whole range of community-based activities and services ranging from arts to singing and sports to yoga.
‘Alex and Jo bring so much to the team and they both join us with a strong background in supporting the community and we are delighted to have them on board, hopefully enabling us to support even more people.’
The scheme can help people with issues that cannot be treated with medication or medication alone, such as social isolation, housing, employment and increasing activity levels.
IslandHealth and Healthcare Group have together sent referrals from all seven of their surgeries, with 96% of GPs from these practices having referred to the scheme.
Bailiwick Social Prescribing is receiving positive feedback from both clients and GPs.
Dr Louise Brook, GP from IslandHealth and BSP lead, said it was a great initiative.
‘GPs can give antibiotics, painkillers and antidepressants among other appropriate medications, but we can’t solve the other issues,’ she said.
‘Up until now we haven’t had anywhere to turn to help with social difficulties and social prescribing has now given us this much needed treatment option.
‘By adding in social prescribing to medications we are much more likely to improve the patients connection with the community, exercise, join in, laugh and ultimately improve their all-round health.’
