Social Prescribing on Social Prescribing on a Shoestring: An a Shoestring: An

Alternative ApproachAlternative ApproachGarth Hodgkinson

Chief Executive – BwD CVS7th October 2015

The Volunteering on The Volunteering on Prescription PilotPrescription Pilot

• Focus: helping people with low level mental health conditions to volunteer as a way of improve their health and well-being.

• Referral Process: GPs, other health or social care professionals – pilot in one area of Blackburn: Blackburn North

• Use Volunteers as Community Navigators to help the service user to access volunteer opportunities or positive activities within their local neighbourhood. Use community assets – ABCD approach – skill up local people and use existing volunteer led groups.

• Use Try It – bitesize volunteering tasters to ensure the service users finds a volunteering role that suites them and also gives the community group comfort: chance for both parties to test that it will work for them.

• Monitoring Process: use of case studies and looking to use 5 ways to well-being to monitor progress over time.

What have we done so What have we done so farfar

• Background to the Piloto Funded by the Department of Health: Health and Social

Care Volunteering Fund at about £20k per year. Ends June 2016.

o 6 GP practices agreed to be involved and supported the bid.

• Achievements (2014-2015)o Getting & keeping the GP practices engaged is a challengeo 156 patients referred in the first year.o 24 Community Navigators recruited, trained & supporting

patients.o 41 community partners / activities / volunteer opportunities

set up.

Learning LessonsLearning Lessons• GP Engagement:

o From our initial experience: getting GP practices on board is an ‘art form’ there is no one right way: it takes time, requires persistence and an element of being in the right place at the right time

o Once on board and you are trusted GPs can be strong advocates

• Getting others on board:o other partners are important too

• Local councillors, community groups, • Other health and social care professionals• Voluntary sector partners

• Local Presence Not required:o Originally thought we would need a volunteer presence at the GP

practice – but in practice it has been difficult to achieve and possibly not necessary. The importance is building the relationship and trust.

Next StepsNext Steps• Evidence Base:

o Good anecdotal evidence and case studies and powerful feedback from those involved, but …

o The evidence base needs strengthening with more longitudinal evidence from the five ways to well-being questionnaires, widen the numbers involved and conduct a proper evaluation

• Mainstreaming:o Need to persuade the Clinical Commissioning Group & Public Health of

the benefits

• Expansion and Growth:o Looking to role out to other geographical areas and to other client

groups

In their own words …In their own words …• “Thank you Volunteering on prescription for all your support, we

have been looking for support for ***** for a very long time and we cannot thank you enough for finding the perfect community navigator. ****** has now find a new lease of life…we cannot thank you enough…carry on the good work”

• “I have been interested in horses for a long time but I haven’t had the confidence to go and volunteer at Only Foals and Horses, Donna linked me up with a community navigator and now I can go every week. I feel much better as I was stuck in the house alone before”

• “I feel so inspired and motivated to volunteer”

• “Without Volunteering on Prescription I would have just got worse, talking to Donna and finding out that there was so much on offer, I am now learning about computers and going to the gym”

Continued …Continued …• “Every day I actually want to get out of bed now

because I know I am helping people who need me”

• “I really didn’t think anyone would take me seriously as a volunteer because of my mental health problems. I really wanted to help others who had experienced the same…thanks to Volunteering on prescription I am now booked in for training with a view to helping others. I feel better about me”

• “Volunteering has helped get me out of the house and meeting new people. I feel confident enough now to move forward and get back into employment and join in activities within the local community.”