Richmond CCG Social Prescribing Pilot

Tender description

National and local policy emphasises a need to embed prevention through deeper integration of primary care and community services. Social prescribing is one approach which has been widely cited as a care model to contribute towards this agenda. Social prescribing is a way of linking primary care patients with health or psycho-social issues, that could benefit from appropriate non-medical support, with sources of that within their local community. A Community Navigator does this by supporting service users to access groups and activities in their local area. Through this GPs will make suitable referrals to social prescribing initiatives. This includes service users who are vulnerable, at risk groups such as: people with mild to moderate depression and anxiety; low income single parents; recently bereaved older people; people with long term conditions and frequent attendees in primary and secondary care. Implementation and expansion of social prescribing initiatives feature in both the Southwest London Sustainability and Transformation Plans and in the GP forward view