The term ‘social prescribing’ is used to describe a service which supports people to access a range of non-medical services and activities in their local area.
My name is Sinead and I am the surgeries ‘Social Prescriber.’
Social Prescribing is an additional way of looking at our health and wellbeing. Quite often we book to see our GP for problems such as depression, anxiety, loneliness and these are often problems that could be improved by having someone that can connect you to local services and organisations that are better placed at offering support for these issues.
This may include help to find out about talking therapy services, such as counselling or cognitive behavioural therapy or some educational groups that discuss these conditions and give tips on how to better manage them in a relaxed setting with other people who are experiencing similar difficulties.
If you have been out of work for a long time and would like to know what training or education is open to you or you’re unsure of how to get into some voluntary work to give you some experience for your CV, then I may be able to help.
Similarly you may be managing a long term health condition such as diabetes or arthritis with the help of your GP. Taking the prescribed medication is of course very important, but you may benefit from an educational class that looks at ways to improve your condition or tailors exercises that will help you manage your pain.
I can help connect you to the right help and support and give you the confidence to try something you may never have done before. The more we get to know and understand our health conditions the better we can manage them. If this feels like something you would like to explore further, please enquire at your GP reception and they can make an appointment for a friendly chat and we can see what help might be available to you.