It’s Social Prescribing Day!
This annual celebration recognises Social Prescribing Link Workers, local community groups, and regional and national organisations that support people’s health and wellbeing.
Some health issues, like loneliness, social isolation, stress, or anxiety, can’t be fixed by doctors or medicine alone. Social prescribing helps connect people to community services that support them in dealing with these challenges, improving their overall situation.
By linking people to the right resources, social prescribing has been shown to boost self-confidence, encourage positive changes, and help individuals manage their health better.
There’s growing evidence that social prescribing can help reduce unnecessary doctor visits, hospital stays, and trips to A&E.
Since 2021 HEY Smile Foundation has changed many lives across Humber and North Yorkshire working to help charities and volunteer groups succeed.
Anthony Hurd, Programme Manager (Green Social Prescribing) for HEY Smile Foundation, describes their programme: “Humber and North Yorkshire is a ‘test and learn’ site for the national ‘preventing and tackling mental ill health through green social prescribing’ project.
“Led by HEY Smile Foundation, in partnership with many different organisations across the region, the programme has been collecting evidence on how being connected to the outdoors and nature can deliver positive mental health outcomes for those that take part.
“One piece of work, supported by referral organisations such as social prescribers and analysed by the University of York, showed statistically significant improvements in depression and anxiety on those connected with outdoor activities such as walking and gardening.”
HEY Smile based in Hull hopes to reduce doctor visits by supporting these nature-based solutions to improve mental health. One of their current projects, Growing Green and Blue Health, encourages people in Humber and North Yorkshire to utilise time outdoors for better well-being.
Anthony Hurd explains: “One of our key aims of this is to help build the skills of those delivering activities in the outdoors and nature in making their offer more accessible.”
According to HEY Smile’s website, evidence suggests that taking part in green and blue activities for two hours each week outdoors has significant health and wellbeing benefits for those involved.
Social prescribing has been important in helping people, and it has had positive effects on some of HEY Smile’s participants.
The programme’s manager said one participant fed back: “Without my social prescriber I would have never known all these things were out there.”
Successes like this highlight the key roles this programme plays in supporting a person’s mental health.
He adds: “Our work and has seen big improvements not only in overall wellbeing but also depression and anxiety.”
As the discussion about mental health keeps changing, the HEY Smile Foundation is taking the lead with creative, new solutions.
Smile's social prescribing manager added: “We are currently delivering training in Dementia and the Outdoors with Dementia Adventure and Nature-based Mindfulness with Mindful Photography UK.”
This new training shows how social prescribing works by including nature-based activities in our healthcare system. Smile is demonstrating that mental health care can be sustainable, accessible, and life changing.
Thanks to extra funding from the National Lottery’s Community Fund, the foundation can keep up its important work. This funding ensures that Green Social Prescribing will continue to grow in Humber and North Yorkshire, offering valuable support to people of all ages and backgrounds. Keeping them at the forefront of delivering nature-based solutions that change lives for the better.
