In this month’s edition The Access Group will be reviewing the importance of co-production in social prescribing to get the best outcomes for multi-sector partnerships and local organisations using some of our customers as examples.
The power of co-production: How social prescribing works for multi-sector partnerships to address the unmet needs of the community?
Last month we celebrated the fact that Access Elemental Social Prescribing works hard to make social prescribing a bigger part of social care. Throughout the month we hosted a webinar and workshops on how our work helps to achieve this. Our workshop demonstrated how Barnet Council have been able to support citizens across their social care experience.
We have been able to celebrate the work of Barnet Council and Age UK Barnet further by demonstrating all their achievements since they started working with us in a case study. Here we have been able to celebrate their social prescribing journey and celebrate how they have received over 7,122 social prescribing referrals in the last 12 months alone.
This month we want to share even further the power of co-production and working with the community and multi-sector partnerships helps address the unmet needs of a community to help reduce health inequalities further.
How can social prescribing help multi-sector partnerships address unmet needs?
In order for any organisation to address unmet needs a co-production approach is essential. Through using a co-production approach Social Prescribing Link Workers can collaborate ideas with other organisations in the community to ensure they have all the resources needed to meet the unmet needs.
In order to help multi-sector partnerships meet the unmet needs of the community it is also essential for the community to know and understand the wider social determinants of health their citizens could be suffering with. Without this knowledge it can be difficult to ensure the services individuals would be referred to would actually help them.
One way this information can be found out easier is through using a population health management approach. This approach is where shared data is used to understand what the care and support needs of a whole targeted population are. From this information local communities can work with other organisations to tailor their services to make better use of their resources, even when budgets are tight.
Social prescribing therefore is crucial in helping multi-sector partnerships address the unmet needs of the community as it can help local authorities identify high risk populations as well as low risk populations to ensure all needs are assessed and addressed, so no one is left without the support they need.
Social prescribing encourages active community involvement by empowering individuals to take control of their own health and wellbeing as well as improving both the coordination and communication among various stakeholders. Embedding social prescribing to help facilitate multi-sector partnerships address unmet needs therefore helps streamline the delivery of services to ensure that individuals’ needs are addressed comprehensively. This helps improve community mental health and wellbeing in the long-term as well as help alleviate pressure on healthcare professionals too.
How can Access Elemental Social Prescribing work with multi-sector partnerships to address the unmet needs of the community?
At Access Elemental Social Prescribing we know how important multi-sector approaches within social prescribing are so no one gets left behind. Our upcoming Open Lounge at the end of the month solely focuses on this and how you can utilise data through our social prescribing platform to proactively offer social prescribing to identified cohort groups.
This webinar will also include our advice on how to develop multiple referral pathways across health and social care to increase access and engagement in social prescribing across a community.
We will also be discussing how Action Together have been working in partnership with a variety of other charities, infrastructure organisations and public bodies they are able to collaborate on key thematic work for the community across Greater Manchester.
Action Together have been using our social prescribing platform from the beginning of their project in 2018 as they needed a platform which managed social prescribing referral better to ensure every referral pathway is safe and assured regardless of who the referrer is. Our social prescribing software therefore has enabled them to grow their project continuously and easily manage the high levels of referrals to support their multi-sector approach.
‘In Tameside we have established and nurtured over 1100 referral partners who actively make referrals to our VCFSE social prescribing partners. Referral partners love getting feedback on the uptake and impact of the referral as this gives them confidence in the service and visibility on the difference, they can make to local community needs’.
Amber Henthorn, Programme Support Manager for the Personalised Care Team at Tameside and Glossop NHS
For more information on how we have helped Action Together work with multi-sector partnerships to address the unmet needs of the community discover our full case study today.
Sign up to our webinar today and find out more ways and top tips on how to work with multi-sector partnerships to ensure your social prescribing service meets the unmet needs of the community to not just improve individual’s mental health and wellbeing but your whole community’s too.
At Access Elemental Social Prescribing we are looking forward to sharing more ways working with mult-sector partnerships can meet the unmet needs of the community.
For more information on how our social prescribing software can help achieve this, contact us today and we can show you first-hand just how easy it is when you digitalise your social prescribing service you can manage more social prescribing referrals so no one gets left behind.
Discover more about The Access Group HSC
The Access Group HSC portfolio of integrated solutions empowers professionals in healthcare, support, and social care services to deliver joined-up quality and preventative care. With over 30 years of experience, we support local authorities alongside small, medium, and large organisations, to focus on the individual with the freedom to make it personal.
