Lots of chatter regarding #SocialPrescribing over the past few days - some great comments & ideas warranting sensible debate, some inevitable & understandable misunderstanding, & some attempts to undermine the great work being delivered by people & communities across the county
#SocialPrescribing enables all local agencies to refer people to a ‘link worker’ to connect them into community-based support, building on what matters to the person as identified through shared decision making/personalised care and support planning
It is not ‘signposting’, it is not a case of ‘doctor knows best’, it is not ‘over-medicalising community’, it is not a top down initiative - it builds on the assets people have in their own lives and helps them develop non biomedical solutions to improve their health & wellbeing
#SocialPrescribing sits alongside other key enablers which are focussed on delivering #PersonalisedCare as set out in our publication: Universal Personalised Care england.nhs.uk/wp-content/upl…
For #SocialPrescribing to work well there are some key drivers that need to be in place: 
#SocialPrescribing has developed over many years through social movements across the county - thousands of people and community groups working together to discover new and innovative opportunities for improving health and wellbeing
The #NHS model for #SocialPrescribing has been extensively coproduced - it is not a top down initiative - it simply harnesses the best of bottom up creation to enable others to learn from the success of their peers
The NHS has made a significantly investment in #SocialPrescribing - recognising the power of people and communities working together to support people - for #SocialPrescribing to work well there needs to be new partnerships forged across traditional boundaries
There are lots of programmes & initiatives out there that share common principles to those adopted by people delivering #SocialPrescribing - we surely need to focus on embracing commonality & working together rather than creating division
#SocialPrescribing & #PersonalisedCare have the ability to create a significant shift in the way in which healthcare is delivered, & the personal stories of the impact on individual lives are significant and compelling - let’s listen to the people that are benefitting
*Country not County - must check my work!
