By Sammie Jones
A £5 m funding to support people to stay connected and maintain their health and well being following the COVID-19 pandemic has been launched.
Social prescribing was established to help tackle loneliness, improve well being and recovery from COVID-19.
The £5 million funding is expected to support local community partnerships, encourage innovation and improve evidence base for social prescribing.
Projects include football to support mental health, art for dementia, improving green spaces and singing to improve the effects of COVID-19.
Working with partners, including the Arts Council England, Natural England, Money and Pensions Service, NHS Charities Together, Sport England and NHS England, the academy will support a range of local community activities.
The funding will connect people to initiatives in their local communities to improve their mental health and well being in response to the impact of COVID-19, including improved green spaces, singing and physical activities as well as access to tailored debt advice.
Organisations working with the project to develop projects includes Newcastle United Foundation ‘Be a Game Changer’ programme and ‘12th Man’ programme which work to support men with mental health issues.
Free creative activity booklets are also sent to people across the UK who are living with dementia and other chronic health conditions
improved green spaces:
The project also includes wider activities including food growing, healthy cooking, wildlife gardening, environmental art and crafts, music workshop.
Music is also being used to achieve the broader objectives of the project. The English National Opera (ENO) have partnered with Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust to devise an integrated 6-week pilot programme of singing, breathing, aimed at supporting and enhancing the recovery of COVID-19 survivors
money advice .
The Money and Pensions Service and Mental Health UK have created a Money Support Pack for people who need support with their mental health as a result of COVID-19.
Minister for Health Jo Churchill said:
”This new funding is hugely important, as it will allow us to build on the merits of social prescribing and encourage innovation in local projects, as well as supporting people to remain connected with their local community, reduce loneliness and improve their well being.
GPs and social prescribing link workers have been working incredibly hard to support their patients through this challenging time. As we begin to support the move out of lockdown, social prescribing will be key to tackling health inequalities and helping people recover and rebuild their lives.
Welcoming the funding, Chief Executive Officer of the National Academy for Social Prescribing, James Sanderson, said:
”Now more than ever, the pandemic has shown the value of social prescribing in helping people to stay connected, feel supported and to maintain their well being.
The National Academy for Social Prescribing has an ambitious agenda to support people to live the best life they can by accessing support in their local communities based on what matters to them. We will be working with key partners across national and local government, the NHS, and the voluntary and community sector to build the support structures necessary to enable social prescribing to thrive.
The partnership work with football clubs will help build on initiatives such as the Newcastle United Foundation ‘Be a Game Changer’ programme, which has already supported over 2,000 men, typically over 40 years old, who traditionally avoid NHS services, may have been impacted by COVID-19 and are most at risk of suicide.
The foundation supports fans to talk about their mental health, get involved in walking football, engage in support groups and learn lifestyle advice through the ‘12th Man’ programme. Social prescribing link workers in GP practices will refer people to these initiatives so that more people can benefit.
The academy is also partnering with the Southbank Centre on a new initiative, Art by Post, which was created under lockdown and sends free creative activity booklets to people across the UK who are living with dementia and other chronic health conditions.
The Art by Post project aims to boost wellbeing and reduce feelings of social isolation. Social prescribing link workers have played a key role in identifying the people in their communities who would benefit from taking part and connecting them with the scheme. The project has so far reached over 1,800 people across the UK, from Aberdeen to Truro, and with people aged 18 to 103 joining in alongside friends, family members and carers.
Caroline Siarkiewicz, Chief Executive of the Money and Pensions Service, said:
Financial, physical and mental health are all deeply connected. We’re looking forward to working with NASP, to ensure that social prescribing link workers can connect people to local money advice and guidance services, to improve financial well being as a core part of COVID support.
Alongside the array of innovative projects, the help provided by social prescribing link workers has been vital, particularly as the pandemic and the lifting of lockdown has had an impact on those who are already vulnerable, affecting their wellbeing and support networks more so than normal. Working remotely or by providing support through social distancing, link workers continue to manage existing social prescribing caseloads as well as supporting those who need it most. They have been: