Supporting You

What Is Social Prescribing?

Social Prescribing is a new service for patients at Grove House Surgery & Chickenley Medical Centre – it is here to support patients who may suffer isolation, loneliness, suffer with long term conditions that impact on their lives. Many things affect your health and well-being. Our GP’s and staffs tell us that a lot of people visit them feeling isolated or lonely and they don’t have a prescription for this. Or they might be stressed out by work, money and housing problems. Sometimes it’s the stress of managing different long-term conditions.

That’s where ‘Social Prescribing’ comes in. It starts with a conversation and it may just be the ‘prescription’ that could help you and transform your quality of life.

It might be the conversation you’ve just had with your doctor or with another person in the practice team. They will refer you to a social prescribing link worker. Our Practice link worker is Fazila.  She is here to listen to you, and put you in touch with the people and activities that might help you to feel better. You can speak to Fazila in confidence.

Fazila might introduce you to a community group, a new activity or a local club. Or she might help you find legal advice or debt counselling. She might just help you find information and guidance: a bit of inside knowledge on your situation or what local resources there are. Fazila could even support you to create something new such as a gardening club, a fishing group, a ‘men’s shed’ or knit and natter group. Social prescribing can help you to have more control over your own health and find ways to improve how you feel in a way that suits you. Studies show that people get better and feel better faster than those treated with medicine alone. And because it works, it’s happening more and more – including here in this area.

For more information about social prescribing ask your GP/Practice Nurse or any of our Patient Services Advisers.