What is it about?
This study is about social prescribers opinions of social prescribing as a healthcare model and about their and experiences of providing social prescribing services to members of the public who are in need of help and/or support. It talks about the different ways that social prescribing is understood by those delivering it and the different ways in which it can be delivered. Finally the study highlighted some of the challenges that staff are facing. For example third sector and voluntary organisations are struggling to find funding to continue their important work.
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Why is it important?
It is important to capture and explore the views of different people involved in funding, coordinating and/or delivering social prescribing schemes. This is because social prescribing schemes are increasingly becoming an integral component of the health and social care provision in Wales. Aligned with a preventative, person centred approach and designed to relives the burden on primary care it is essential those involved have the opportunity to discuss issues and challenges that they are facing as wales moves fromward with its national framework for social prescribing.
Perspectives
This project was a really valuable opportunity for me to work with the different people involved in delivering social prescribing in my local health board. I fully believe in the social prescribing model of care and want to see it continue as a non-medicalised means of support for individual citizens who need help. Whether they are facing low wellbeing and/or mental illness, low confidence, self esteem and/or poverty and deprivation. Social prescribing schemes offer a positive way for citizens to get involved in their local communities, to be part of local activities and find a sense of purpose. And nature-based social prescribing has that added bonus of helping people get outside in the fresh air! Equally the issue of funding within this sector needs to be addressed and reading about the experience and passion of all those involved will hopefully have a positive impact, not just on those delivering the services but those of us who use them. Health is a continuum and we all need support at some point; I hope its available when needed.
Menna Brown
Swansea University
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Interrogating green social prescribing in South Wales; A multi-stakeholder qualitative exploration, PLOS One, January 2025, PLOS,
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0314107.
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