Life can sometimes feel complicated. You might be dealing with several challenges at once and it can be hard to know where to start. Social Prescribing is a bit of extra free, friendly help for anyone who is finding it hard to manage their worries or day to day problems. We can take time to talk about what’s happening for you, and together we can make sense of what’s going on, explore options and find practical next steps. We will be there to support you while you work towards your goals and help you with any problems along the way. By taking some small steps together, at your own pace, we can help you to feel happier, healthier, and more in control.
Our Social Prescribing team supports people who are over 18 years old and registered with one of the four GP surgeries in Malvern. The project is funded by the NHS.
You can see a short video about Social Prescribing and how it works by watching the YouTube video.
Support
Many people find it helpful to talk things through with someone outside their usual circle. A Social Prescriber will:
Our approach is to work alongside you, helping you build confidence and find solutions that work for you. You don’t have to figure everything out on your own.
People often come to us for support with things like:
Who it's for
Making contact
After we receive a GP referral or self referral, a member of our friendly team will call or text you to introduce themselves and arrange a time to have an initial chat. We don’t have a waiting list so you can usually expect us to contact you within a few days.
Getting to know you
The first appointment can be over the phone or at our office depending on what you prefer, and can last up to an hour. You don’t need to bring anything or prepare in advance – this time is for us to get to know you and find out about what’s happening for you right now. Based on what we talk about, we will try to help you think about what actions would be helpful. We will ask you some questions about your wellbeing and how you feel on the day.
Your plan
Together, we will create a personalised plan to help make things better – we won’t tell you what to do, but we will help you to think about what would work and make suggestions if you need us to. The plan can be a mixture of things you can do yourself, things that we will help with, and help that we can connect you to, like social groups, hobbies or volunteering.
Ongoing support
We can work with you for 3-6 months depending on what you need. We will check in with you regularly to see how you are getting on in working towards your goals.
We hope that after our support you will feel more in control of things and more able to deal with any other problems that might come up, but if you need more help in the future you can always come back to us.
Social Prescribing can help anyone who wants to feel more in control of their life and health, but it can be especially helpful for people who are:
My social prescriber was exceptional, always kind, patient and understanding. He was very knowledgable and willing to help in the best way for me. I have found confidence to get out more and do things for myself again, thanks to him and your team.
