Social Prescribers - A Day in the Life
Sam's Story
My name is Sam and I work across four GP surgeries in south west Haringey providing social prescribing to NHS patients. I’ve been in the role for three months, and although it hasn’t been that long, I’m really enjoying the experience so far.
My average working day
My day is mostly made up of making calls to newly referred patients to see how I can help and support them, as well as catching up with the patients I am already supporting. But my day is not exclusively working with patients. I spend a lot of time calling and visiting organisations in the community to build links and to understand what services, resources, support and activities are out there for patients. I am currently setting up a men’s walking group with a colleague that will run weekly in Haringey.
In this role I have worked with the NHS, Haringey Council, volunteers and patients. The role is very dynamic and there is plenty of opportunities to leave the surgery and immerse yourself in the community we support.
Sam's Case Study
I recently worked with a patient whose first language was not English, using the Language Line service to communicate via an interpreter. She had housing issues that had been ongoing for many years, but was never able to effectively communicate with the council due to language barriers. She felt exhausted with the situation and really needed support. I managed to connect her with a community organisation, who will now advocate for her in her own language. They can communicate with the council and also offer emotional support to the patient.
She was delighted to be able to be heard and properly supported, and that her ongoing housing issue was finally recognised. She asked if I could speak with her regularly as she felt I was able to listen to her. Unfortunately, we are not able to support patients long-term, but I explained that she could be re-referred if she ever needed further support. The experience was rewarding for me and I felt that I made a real difference to the patient’s life.
Aisha's Story
My name is Aisha and I’ve been working as a Social Prescriber for almost one and a half years. I work in three GP surgeries in Haringey.
My average working day
I work with patients by providing them with a wide range of emotional, social, and practical support. I do this by connecting patients to local community groups, services and organisations through signposting and referral. These local community groups and organisations provide non-clinical services and support for issues such as isolation, poor housing, debt, benefits, employment, education, mental health support and more.
Aisha's Case Study
Mrs S is a single mother with three-year-old twins, a boy and a girl. She is unemployed and lives on a low income. She did not have essential household goods, including beds for herself and her children. Through an appointment at the surgery, she raised these issues with her GP, and she was referred to me. I directed her to the Haringey Support Fund, but her application was rejected. I then referred her to a small charity in Haringey called Besom, and as a result, Mrs S received a double bed, new mattress, and bed sheets. Staff from Besom delivered the items, installed the bed, and provided some toys for her children. I contacted Mrs S to follow up after she received the items. She was very happy about our support and thanked me: “We used to sleep on the floor, now we have a bed to sleep on. Thank you!”.
I also referred the family to Little Village, a charity supporting families with babies and children under five living in poverty across London. The family are now on a waiting list to receive beds for the children.
Andrea's Story (2022)
My name is Andrea and I am a ‘Link Worker - Social Prescriber’ at JS Medical Practice and St Ann’s Road Surgery in Tottenham. I have worked in Social Prescribing since 2015 and feel very passionate about the work I do, especially when empowering patients to explore and find the best outcomes in their daily lives.
My average working day
I work as part of a wider team of amazing Social Prescribers within a multicultural and diverse community. I work in a person-centred way that is a ‘non-medical intervention’, offering advice and support on general physical and mental wellbeing, including day to day need. This could include referring patients to exercise groups, short courses, community groups or meetings, such as coffee mornings, or knitting and cooking groups. Many patients have difficult issues with their housing and benefits, and I am able to sign-post them to specialist supportive services such as the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), Local Area Coordinators and Citizen’s Advice Haringey.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic I have had to adapt my role to the needs of the local community. Many people were shielding, on furlough or lost their jobs, so we had to respond accordingly - working closely with the local council and voluntary and community groups to arrange deliveries of food parcels to those most in need, and referring people to local food banks and soup kitchens, things that made a huge difference to many. We also used Haringey Reach and Connect, as they were able to collect and distribute prescriptions to those shielding, and provide an amazing telephone friendship service to help reduced social isolation. For a Social Prescriber every day is different, but the one thing that never changes is our passion to encourage and empower people to live their lives in the best way they choose, by taking small and positive steps towards what truly matters to them.
Andrea's Case Study
Michael has been widowed for over 15 years and in the last couple of years he stopped working due to his health. Six years ago Michael’s friends were concerned about his wellbeing and this led to Police entering his home and breaking down two doors down to do a welfare check, luckily Michael was OK. However, as time went on, he began to feel more isolated and has felt suicidal at times. Fast-forward to now and he still hasn’t had his doors replaced. In our first meeting he was very emotional, was finding it harder and harder to do household chores and was worried about getting in and out of the bath due to a previous fall. He was unable to accept the help of a female friend who offered to stay for a couple of days, due to the missing bedroom doors and lack of privacy.
Following referral to a Social Prescriber at his GP practice, the door repair issue has been escalated with the Haringey Council and he has now in the process of having his doors replaced and has also had much needed adaptions made to the rest of his home to make things easier. This has brought about a feeling of relief. Michael feels safer in his home and can accept support from his friends without worrying about privacy.
I was also able to identify two local community hubs of interest. He will be attending a Reminiscence Café where local residents come together to share their memories of living in the area, and will also be attending a local community music session. Michael has been able to address practical and social issues by taking small steps towards achieving his goals and his life is improving.
