Link Worker social prescribing to improve health and well-being for people with long-term conditions: qualitative study of service user perceptions

Abstract

ObjectivesTo describe the experiences of patients with long-term conditions who are referred to and engage with a Link Worker social prescribing programme and identify the impact of the Link Worker programme on health and well-being.DesignQualitative study using semistructured interviews with thematic analysis of the data.InterventionLink Worker social prescribing programme comprising personalised support to identify meaningful health and wellness goals, ongoing support to achieve agreed objectives and linkage into appropriate community services.SettingInner-city area in West Newcastle upon Tyne, UK (population n=132 000) ranked 40th most socioeconomically deprived in England, served by 17 general practices.ParticipantsThirty adults with long-term conditions, 14 female, 16 male aged 40–74 years, mean age 62 years, 24 white British, 1 white Irish, 5 from black and minority ethnic communities.ResultsMost participants experienced multimorbidity combined with mental health problems, low self-confidence and social isolation. All were adversely affected physically, emotionally and socially by their health problems. The intervention engendered feelings of control and self-confidence, reduced social isolation and had a positive impact on health-related behaviours including weight loss, healthier eating and increased physical activity. Management of long-term conditions and mental health in the face of multimorbidity improved and participants reported greater resilience and more effective problem-solving strategies.ConclusionsFindings suggest that tackling complex and long-term health problems requires an extensive holistic approach not possible in routine primary care. This model of social prescribing, which takes into account physical and mental health, and social and economic issues, was successful for patients who engaged with the service. Future research on a larger scale is required to assess when and for whom social prescribing is clinically effective and cost-effective.

Social prescribing as an intervention for people with work-related injuries and psychosocial difficulties in Australia

“…In addition to enabling psychosocial adjustment to work capacity limitations, increases in work capacity measured over the program period demonstrate its suitability as a return-to-work intervention. The program structure, delivery, and results were consistent with other social prescribing programs, where outcomes were associated with a range of psychosocial functioning improvements, including increasing health and wellbeing, self-management and reducing loneliness [22,[25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34] .…”

“…General benefits identified across programs include increased social participation, decreased health service usage, and greater empowerment and confidence [1][2][3][4] . Social prescribing intervention evaluations generally report effectiveness in enhancing social inclusion, promoting healthier living, and improving self-esteem and wellbeing; and are largely positively received by participants [22,[25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34] . The link worker role was identified as a key feature of success in many studies, particularly in their frequent and sup- Data provided by participants portive contact.…”

What next? Experiences of social support and signposting after a diagnosis of dementia

“…DMP increasingly recognise the benefits non‐traditional outlets offer through the concept of social prescribing. This involves linking service users with non‐clinical activities often facilitated by third sector organisations to enhance community well‐being and social inclusion (Baker & Irving, ; Moffatt, Steer, Lawson, Penn, & O’Brien, ; South, Higgins, Woodall, & White, ), and includes signposting to relevant agencies that offer social support (Chatterjee, Camic, Lockyer, & Thomson, ). DMP are already comfortable using social prescribing to tackle mental health conditions and social isolation (Mossabir, Morris, Kennedy, Blickem, & Rogers, ) but may not respect the roles, knowledge and expertise of non‐medical third sector service providers (Aveling & Jovchelovitch, ; White et al, ).…”

Evaluating the Implementation and Delivery of a Social Prescribing Intervention: A Research Protocol

“…Social prescribing is a way of linking patients in primary care with sources of non-medical support, typically provided by the third sector (including charities, voluntary, and community groups) [8]. The interest in social prescribing is rising because of the increasing burden of LTCs, the cost implications this poses for service delivery, and the crisis in general practice [91011]. Recent studies on social prescribing indicate that there is a potential for health and wellbeing improvements in people with LTCs and reductions in health resource use [1012131415].…”

“…The interest in social prescribing is rising because of the increasing burden of LTCs, the cost implications this poses for service delivery, and the crisis in general practice [91011]. Recent studies on social prescribing indicate that there is a potential for health and wellbeing improvements in people with LTCs and reductions in health resource use [1012131415]. Despite the need for more robustly evaluated examples in real-world conditions to proceed the integrated care agenda, most evaluations of social prescribing interventions appear to be small scale and limited by poor design and reporting [111516].…”