Researchers from the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) are calling for community organisations to work with a newly established unit focused on improving health and well-being through non-clinical services.
The UCLan Social Prescribing Unit brings together around 70 academics from across the University from a wide range of disciplines, including health, social care, and private and voluntary sectors, who are passionate about working with community organisations and using their research and teaching experiences to benefit them.
Launched this week, the new Unit is calling for external partners interested in developing their activities around social prescribing, which is an approach that allows professionals to refer people to a range of non-clinical services to support their health and well-being, to work with its academics to develop and evaluate services.
Social prescribing can be offered to a wide range of people, particularly those who need mental health support, feel lonely or isolated or who have complex social needs. Examples include arts activities, befriending services, cookery and healthy eating workshops and sports.
Samantha Pywell, lecturer in occupational therapy and UCLan Social Prescribing Unit co-ordinator who has also worked as a community occupational therapist in the NHS, said: “Social prescribing allows for a personalised, more holistic approach to improving people’s health and well-being.
“We are placing a particular focus on and making a difference to the challenges of health inequalities within Lancashire and South Cumbria. Our aim is for the UCLan Social Prescribing Unit to become a central point for staff and colleagues across health, social care and the community and voluntary sectors to focus on all things within the social prescribing landscape.
“We know a wide-range of services within the community already use social prescribing effectively and we want to work with these partners to build on this success. This may be through working on joint research projects or evaluating the effectiveness of existing projects. We’re also keen to develop teaching and student work placement opportunities that focus on social prescribing.”
The Director of Public Health for Lancashire, Dr Sakthi Karunanithi, said: “Social prescribing improves outcomes for people by supporting them to take greater control of their own health. It is particularly useful for people to maintain and improve their sense of wellbeing.
“We’ve yet to see the full impact of the last two years on people’s mental health, but young people are likely going to be significantly impacted due to the impact Covid-19 has had on their lives and education.
“This is why I welcome UCLan’s leadership in setting up this Social Prescribing Unit and our team looks forward to working with this unit as we recover from the pandemic.”
Professor Sir Michael Marmot, Director of the University College London Institute of Health Equity and Past President of the World Medical Association, is a world expert on health inequalities and introduced the concept of ‘proportionate universalism’; the idea of not just targeting the worst off but instead providing a universal service with efforts proportionate to needs.
Speaking at the UCLan Social Prescribing Unit launch, he said: “Social prescribing is looking at the patient in broader perspective, working with partners and looking at the wider impact of health care institutes.
“If you were able to produce evidence to show not just that social prescribing would benefit the people you serve, but actually showed proportionate universalism in action that would be especially welcome. I really wish you well with this endeavour.”
UCLan Pro Vice-Chancellor for research and enterprise, Professor StJohn Crean, added: “The Social Prescribing Unit is a natural development for the University. It has aligned its own strategies toward the national developments around levelling up and empowering communities, especially during recovery periods.” Organisations interested in working with the UCLan Social Prescribing Unit, which is based within the University’s Centre for Citizenship and Community, can contact the team via email on socialprescribing@uclan.ac.uk
