This is why sport, gardening and friendship could be just what the doctor ordered for residents in South Ribble

Residents in South Ribble could be referred to gardening groups, sports clubs or for financial advice as part of a programme designed to maintain their wellbeing - and take pressure off the NHS.
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It comes after South Ribble Borough Council agreed to pump £240,000 into a new social prescribing service.

Social prescribing is a way of enabling healthcare professionals and other organisations to direct people to places that can offer them support for what are non-medical needs - but which can often have a significant impact on an individual’s health.

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It has been rolled out in the NHS in recent years within clusters of GP practices, but the district council has now decided to step in to bolster the offering available in South Ribble.

South Ribble Borough Council is moving into social precsribingSouth Ribble Borough Council is moving into social precsribing
South Ribble Borough Council is moving into social precsribing

That means locals could be pointed in the direction of a range of community and voluntary groups - including those offering arts activities, cookery, friendship and healthy eating advice.

However, the council says that its direct involvement means that local authority services such as housing can be incorporated into the social prescribing model in order to provide a more rounded and complete level of support for those who may need it.

Cabinet member for health and wellbeing Mick Titherington told a meeting of the full council - at which the plans were approved - that the proposed investment was a recognition of the fact that many of the issues which affect a person’s health lie beyond the remit of the NHS.

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“[Social prescribing] is an essential and integral part of the health and wellbeing agenda. Once it’s up and operating, it will also benefit the NHS in terms of costs…because we would hope that people, rather than having to access medical services [like] GPs, [can be supported] to get through whatever difficulties they are experiencing at a particular time,” Cllr Titherington said.

The authority will fund two new social prescribing link workers and a senior social prescribing link worker for a period of two years. A report to the council revealed that the Ribble Medical Group, one of the primary care networks covering large parts of the borough, is “in principle” open to subcontracting its social prescribing function to the authority - and so enhancing the service already on offer. Negotiations are now set to take place over the arrangement.

Conservative opposition group leader Karen Walton said that she supported many of “the principles” of social prescribing - and backed the council’s intervention - but said that the service should be “provided by the GP partnerships who are funded to [offer it]”.

“It isn’t a statutory duty to be funded by South Ribble Borough Council. Nevertheless, this council has unlocked many barriers and worked within communities, so it is well placed to provide vital information to make social prescribing a success for the health and wellbeing of our residents - especially the most vulnerable”.

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However, Labour council leader Paul Foster said that there were “chronic” issues facing some locals, which the council had to address.

“We must get away from this [notion of] ‘It's not our statutory duty, so why are we bothering?’ It’s exactly because it's not our statutory duty - and our community needs us - that we should be bothering,” Cllr Foster said.

He told the meeting that the NHS and social care system was “on its knees” - and pointed to the early interventions from which Chorley residents had benefited as a result of their borough council having been involved in social prescribing in recent years.

Farington East ward councillor Paul Wharton-Hardman added that social prescribing was “proven” to reduce demand on GPs and accident and emergency departments, as well as limiting repeat calls to the ambulance service.

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"[Social prescribing] will support many residents to become less reliant on medication and see improvements in their health, while supporting some of the most vulnerable residents to be less isolated and to feel more involved in [their] local communities and activities,” he said.

But Buckshaw and Worden ward councillor Alan Ogilvie warned that recruiting to the new posts could be difficult when employment was guaranteed only for two years.