We recently spoke to NAVCA about social prescribing, Live Well Wakefield, the partnership we have with Conexus and the value we gain from it. Watch the video here...

Thank you to NAVCA for this brilliant opportunity!

This video is part of a NAVCA project collating resources to help facilitate better engagement between local infrastructure organisations, like Nova, and Primary Care Networks.

Why do LIOs and PCNs collaborate on social prescribing?

We know that the wellbeing of our local communities can be improved when NAVCA members work in partnership with health systems. That's why NAVCA have recently published a set of new social prescribing resources, which aim to help facilitate better conversations and collaborations between local infrastructure organisations and Primary Care Networks.

In social prescribing, organisations such as local charities, social care and health services refer people to a social prescribing link worker. This happens when a person's health and wellbeing can be improved through changes to their social activities and relationships, not just their medical care. These social prescribing link workers will then work with the individual to figure out the best path forward to improve their health and wellbeing. This might be through connecting them to a local group as a participant or volunteer, or connecting them to a debt advice or homelessness support service. So, where does a local infrastructure organisation come in?

Local infrastructure organisations (LIOs), such as Nova, have the best knowledge of not only the voluntary sector but the individuals and communities that live in that area. When Primary Care Networks (PCNs) and LIOs work in partnership to deliver social prescribing programmes, everyone benefits. The LIO has an excellent understanding of their local area - from what charities and community groups are working there, to where gaps in services are and how those gaps can be filled. Through partnership-working, the PCNs will be better-connected to communities, meaning that individuals accessing social prescribing services can also access the right support to improve their wellbeing. This partnership usually works best when social prescribing link workers are hosted at the LIO.

This is the case in Wakefield District, as Nova is a partner in delivering the award-winning Live Well Wakefield service. The innovative service aims to improve the wider health and wellbeing of adult Wakefield residents by promoting independence through social prescribing and supported self-management interventions.

Live Well Wakefield operates this support across the Wakefield District, providing a bridge between Primary Care and other statutory services to local VCSE provision. Live Well Wakefield also provides a range of peer led Self-Management Courses and Workshops, offering a range of self-help tools and techniques to help individuals to manage their wellbeing whilst living with long-term physical or mental health conditions.

As part of the Live Well Wakefield service, Nova administers the Live Well Small Grants, a funding stream designed to ensure VSCE organisations have the resources they need to continue to offer important services, and to adapt to the needs of their communities.

Nova is proud to support a service that has such incredible impact in communities across Wakefield District.

NAVCA's social prescribing resources

NAVCA have recently published a new set of resources on social prescribing, which aims to facilitate better connections between NAVCA members and their local PCNs. These were developed in conjunction with National Academy for Social Prescribing and Spirit of 2012.

The Self-Assessment Development Guide for Social Prescribing Link Worker Host Organisations is a practical, day-to-day guide on how to develop and deliver a quality SPLW hosting service with useful practical advice for programmes in all stages of development, from considering hosting link workers to maintaining an existing highly successful programme.

The Impactful Social Prescribing resource is a presentation template and accompanying guidance notes that aim to increase the impact of social prescribing through increased co-design/production of the social prescribing infrastructure.

Find out more...

You can find these resources and read more about NAVCA's social prescribing work here: https://navca.org.uk/social-prescribing

Learn more about Live Well Wakefield's work on our website: https://www.nova-wd.org.uk/our-work/live-well-wakefield