Social Prescribing Day Connecting People to What Matters

Next Thursday, 26^th March, is Social Prescribing Day, an annual celebration of the people, organisations, and community partners who make social prescribing possible.

Many things can affect our health and wellbeing, and it is natural to seek out medical advice and intervention to help us through them. However not everything needs medicine. Social prescribing connects people to non-medical support, such as community groups, wellbeing activities, financial advice, gardening projects and more, to improve health and strengthen community connection.

Since 2019, thousands of organisations and link workers have taken part in Social Prescribing Day worldwide, showcasing its impact and raising awareness of how it changes lives.

Link workers, or equivalents, can support people in a variety of ways, such as helping someone who is isolated to join a befriending group, an art class or a community project,based on what matters to them. They might help to connect someone struggling with financial stress to a service that helps with managing debt or claiming benefits, or work with someone with high blood pressure to take up a form of exercise that they’re comfortable with.

Here in Lancaster district, social prescribing supports people by linking them with those local activities and groups that meet their needs. It could be anything that is having a negative impact on a person’s wellbeing, physical, mental, or emotional. If there is a local activity that can support people through that and help to improve their lives, social prescribing could be an option.

Lancaster District CVS helps make this possible with the Digital Health & Wellbeing Directory and through light-touch social prescribing support offered by community link workers or other staff and volunteers in similar roles.

Research such as the Phoenix Takes Flight project has helped explore how social prescribing can be scaled up locally, ensuring community groups receive support to remain sustainable while delivering meaningful wellbeing benefits. The study highlights the importance of accessible, high-quality non-medical support across Lancashire and Cumbria.

So whether you think you might benefit from a social prescription, or represent an organisation or project that you think could help someone through social prescribing, why not contact our Community Health Officer Jenny Reddell for a chat? You can email Jenny at [email protected] or call the office on 01524 555900. Jenny can advice you on accessing social prescribing, or being part of the Digital Directory if you are not already on there.