APPENDIX 1

Introduction

A collaboration between York CVS and the newly formed Primary Care Network’s in York began in January 2020. This collaboration was the first steps in ensuring that Social Prescribing was consistently available within Primary Care, as outlined in NHS Long Term Plan. This one year pilot has set out to explore how by working together with the voluntary sector we can improve wellbeing outcomes for patients registered with GP Practices in York. Our model of work reflects a holistic person centred approach to working with people, we have the time and opportunity to explore not what is the matter with people but what matters to them. The aim of Social Prescribing is to empower individuals to take more responsibility for their own health and wellbeing and to identify support networks within their community and to reduce the number of patients attending the GP’s with non-medical conditions that may well have a social solution.

However, before this work was able to take off Covid-19 arrived. This report has been compiled to provide a snap shot of the work that has been carried out by the Social Prescribing teams during the three months March 2020 – June 2020, at the height of the Covid-19 Pandemic. When we went into lockdown York CVS offered a hotline number to all the PCN’s that could go into their call menu. This number was staffed by the Social Prescribing Link Workers (SPLWs) and the team at York CVS and provided social and emotional and wellbeing support. We quickly became aware that a number of people were experiencing significant isolation and loneliness and began making weekly welfare calls, alongside a team of volunteers, to a number of patients across the City. We also made calls to lists of people who were coded as frail, shielding, Carers and patients living with a Dementia diagnosis.

In May York CVS was contacted by Andrew Lee at the CCG and asked to work alongside Nimbus Care Ltd. As part of the Covid-19 Monitoring Hub. This was set up to ensure that individuals who were symptomatic for Covid-19 were contacted on day 1, day 3 and then every day from day 7 to 14. This was identified as a need when it was recognised that on days 7 to 10 the symptoms of Covid-19 could worsen and it was necessary to ensure individuals had access to the medical support they needed.

Moving forward: SPLWs are part of both the general practice and community response to Covid-19, working to ease some of the pressure on primary care. They are currently carrying their own caseloads, as well as supporting shielded and other vulnerable groups. It is predicted that the pandemic will have an impact on health and wellbeing beyond the immediate crisis, and the hope is that SPLWs will be integral to primary care’s effective response. Alongside this SPLWs are well placed to contribute to addressing health inequalities which have been highlighted during the pandemic.

What We Did  

Three Month Social Prescribing Impact Report from York

The data below shows the impact the Social Prescribing team had within specific practices, the data provided includes all calls received, referrals received and proactive calls made to vulnerable and shielding patients.    

COVID-19 MONITORING HUB

The Impact (stories)