Sharing Learning at our Ways to Wellness Social Prescribing Day Event
The 9th March was the National Academy for Social Prescribing’s annual Social Prescribing Day, and Ways to Wellness marked the occasion with a celebration event focused on the impact of link workers.
We welcomed our link workers from across the region to join our office team, coming together to network and share learning. Alongside lunch we posted 3 key reflective questions:
What is your favourite thing about being a social prescribing link worker?
What would you say is the most significant issue or barrier facing the people you support?
What do you see as the biggest benefit of social prescribing for the NHS?
The answers captured as mind maps on the day (and an online survey from those unable to attend) offered us insight into the rewards, challenges and benefits of social prescribing from the point of view of the link workers themselves.
“My favourite thing about being a social prescribing link worker is giving people the time to help them think about what is important to them and helping to achieve/reach their goals. I like having a job that is making a positive difference.”
The link workers identified the following barriers being faced by people they have been working with: waiting times, mental health (including anxiety and social isolation), money worries and Covid-19.
The link workers were asked to think about likely benefits their social prescribing work is having on local NHS services. Those identified at the event included reduced patient reliance on NHS services (including GPs and hospitals), cost savings in the statutory sector, and greater patient satisfaction with improved health and wellbeing outcomes.
“My favourite thing about being a social prescribing link worker is making a big difference with small changes.”
At Ways to Wellness we are committed to offering opportunities to share learning and best practice among our link workers. Social Prescribing Day offered an excellent opportunity to do this, and we plan we plan to follow this up with celebrations for Link Worker Day on 27th April.
“My favourite thing about being a social prescribing link worker is providing encouragement to people and supporting them through problems, seeing them improve their lives. I like connecting people to community activities to improve social isolation.”