Social Prescribing on a Shoestring: An Alternative Approach Garth Hodgkinson Chief Executive – BwD CVS 7 th October 2015

The Volunteering on Prescription Pilot Focus: helping people with low level mental health conditions to volunteer as a way of improve their health and well-being. Referral Process: GPs, other health or social care professionals – pilot in one area of Blackburn: Blackburn North Use Volunteers as Community Navigators to help the service user to access volunteer opportunities or positive activities within their local neighbourhood. Use community assets – ABCD approach – skill up local people and use existing volunteer led groups. Use Try It – bitesize volunteering tasters to ensure the service users finds a volunteering role that suites them and also gives the community group comfort: chance for both parties to test that it will work for them. Monitoring Process: use of case studies and looking to use 5 ways to well-being to monitor progress over time.

What have we done so far Background to the Pilot o Funded by the Department of Health: Health and Social Care Volunteering Fund at about £20k per year. Ends June o 6 GP practices agreed to be involved and supported the bid. Achievements ( ) o Getting & keeping the GP practices engaged is a challenge o 156 patients referred in the first year. o 24 Community Navigators recruited, trained & supporting patients. o 41 community partners / activities / volunteer opportunities set up.

Learning Lessons GP Engagement: o From our initial experience: getting GP practices on board is an ‘art form’ there is no one right way: it takes time, requires persistence and an element of being in the right place at the right time o Once on board and you are trusted GPs can be strong advocates Getting others on board : o other partners are important too Local councillors, community groups, Other health and social care professionals Voluntary sector partners Local Presence Not required: o Originally thought we would need a volunteer presence at the GP practice – but in practice it has been difficult to achieve and possibly not necessary. The importance is building the relationship and trust.

Next Steps Evidence Base: o Good anecdotal evidence and case studies and powerful feedback from those involved, but … o The evidence base needs strengthening with more longitudinal evidence from the five ways to well-being questionnaires, widen the numbers involved and conduct a proper evaluation Mainstreaming: o Need to persuade the Clinical Commissioning Group & Public Health of the benefits Expansion and Growth: o Looking to role out to other geographical areas and to other client groups

In their own words … “Thank you Volunteering on prescription for all your support, we have been looking for support for ***** for a very long time and we cannot thank you enough for finding the perfect community navigator. ****** has now find a new lease of life…we cannot thank you enough…carry on the good work” “I have been interested in horses for a long time but I haven’t had the confidence to go and volunteer at Only Foals and Horses, Donna linked me up with a community navigator and now I can go every week. I feel much better as I was stuck in the house alone before” “I feel so inspired and motivated to volunteer” “Without Volunteering on Prescription I would have just got worse, talking to Donna and finding out that there was so much on offer, I am now learning about computers and going to the gym”

Continued … Continued … “Every day I actually want to get out of bed now because I know I am helping people who need me” “I really didn’t think anyone would take me seriously as a volunteer because of my mental health problems. I really wanted to help others who had experienced the same…thanks to Volunteering on prescription I am now booked in for training with a view to helping others. I feel better about me” “Volunteering has helped get me out of the house and meeting new people. I feel confident enough now to move forward and get back into employment and join in activities within the local community.”