SPRING Social Prescribing is a partnership between Bogside and Brandywell Health Forum, Healthy Living Centre Alliance and Scottish Communities for Health and Wellbeing.
As the largest co-ordinated project of its kind, a network of 30 community-led health organisations have come together to deliver Social Prescribing services for three years.
SPRING Social Prescribing creates a link between the health service and the community. GP’s refer patients to the community for non-clinical support services. Social Prescribing helps people aged 18 years or older to address their social, emotional, and practical needs, by connecting them with sources of support within their own community. These services enable GP or Primary Health Care professionals to refer patients suffering from social isolation, low mood, mild depression, long-term conditions, or physical inactivity, to a range of non-medical activities and services such as; exercise, counselling, social clubs, arts and many more.
The SPRING Social Prescribing Project is funded by the National Lottery Community Fund, the core objectives are:
Support 8,000 patients, who will co-create a social prescription
Improve peoples’ health and wellbeing outcomes across 30 communities in Northern Ireland and Scotland
Strengthen links between Primary Care and the third sector
Influence policy makers at regional and national levels to embed social prescribing into NHS long term plans.
For further information visit: www.springsp.org
