What is Social Prescribing?
Social prescribing is a way for trusted individuals in clinical and community settings to identify people who have non-medical, health-related social needs and to connect them to non-clinical support and services within the community by co-producing a social prescription. This is a non-medical prescription, to improve health and wellbeing and to strengthen community connections.
Social Prescribing in Blackburn with Darwen
- Link workers focus on wider social needs rather than acute medical issues
- Aims to reduce demand on GP’s and improve health outcomes for local people
- Blackburn with Darwen Council hosts ten Social Prescribing Link workers on behalf of Local Primary Care (LPC)
- Actively connect people to a wide range of statutory and non-statutory services and groups across the Borough
- Attend weekly INT meetings for each Primary Care Network to provide input on non-clinical supports for patients discussed alongside other healthcare professionals
- Support Adult Social Care Duty teams across the Borough, providing input into Prevention opportunities for people referred in.
Who refers to social prescribing and why
The main reasons for referrals to Social Prescribing in Blackburn with Darwen are social isolation and mental health. It is often found that by asking what matters most and building trust with a person, uncovers further unmet needs.
The majority of referrals are made by primary care networks - GPs and wider teams working in GP surgeries such as nurses and care navigators. Wider health colleagues, adult social care and the VCFSE sector also refer significantly.