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The benefits of this project
Benefits for Your Patients
- Patient-centred care - getting the right intervention at the right time, with emphasis on disease prevention and wellbeing
- Avoids polypharmacy and the associated risks
Benefits for Your Practice
- Saves clinician time
- Reduces GP appointments by up to 40% and reduce secondary care costs by 27%
Benefits for The Planet
- Average carbon emissions for a GP appointment is 9.9kgCO2e. 990kgCO2e saved for every 100 GP appointments avoided.
Opportunity for improvement
- This project aims to increase the numbers of people referred to a social prescriber within a GP practice, with scope to widen to PCN level. It aims to increase knowledge of the service and the role of the social prescribing link workers (see disclaimers).
- Social prescribing is a key part of Universal Personalised Care. It aims to holistically assess patient’s needs and identify what matters to them most as individuals - leaving them more empowered and better supported. Evidence suggests significant economic benefit and reduced pressure on the NHS; by reducing GP appointments, A&E visits and hospital admissions.
- You might like to make a SMART goal for this project, e.g. include a social prescribing information leaflet in 90% of new patient registration packs.
How to carry out this project
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Identify patients
Identify the number of patients referred to the social prescriber within a specific time frame (eg. 3 months) at baseline. This is recorded by most PCNs/Clusters.
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Survey Clinicians
Send a questionnaire sent to all clinicians to gauge existing understanding, identify barriers to prescribing and assess learning needs.
Resource: Pre-Training Survey
Question 1. Do you know how to make a referral to your local social prescribing team? Question 2. Do you feel well informed about the role of a social prescriber and what type of patients to refer to their service? Question 3. What might prevent you from making a social prescription (in the event you felt it was appropriate)? Question 4. What would improve your confidence in making referrals to the social prescribing team?
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Training
Invite Social Prescribing link worker to a practice meeting or training session, can be virtual or online. Important to be local given the variability in regional practices, activities and referral pathways.
It can also be useful for the Social Prescribing Link Worker to collate short case studies/examples of social prescribing in action – this could be shared on email/teams or during group meetings to show how impactful interventions can be.
Training session to include: Role of link worker and how they assess patients, types of patients or presentations to refer, range of community services available, referral pathway.
If extended QIP – incorporate learning from the survey in session.
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Repeat data collection
Repeat data collection / electronic search of number of referrals 1-2 months later.
Repeat survey of clinicians at 1-2 months – if further learning needs identified can be addressed at group training event, 1:1 training, emailed links or online learning package developed alongside further discussion with local social prescribing team.
Resource: Post-Training Survey
Question 1. Did this training/meeting help you to understand: The role of the social prescribing link worker? Yes/No. How to make a referral to the service? Yes/No. What patients or presentations are appropriate to refer? Yes/No. Which activities or services are available to patients in your area? Yes/No Question 2. Do you feel more confident in making a social prescribing referral following this training? Question 3. Do you have any other learning needs or queries following this training?
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Study
Review the results, summarise learning, share with practice team + decide if any changes are needed to improve the process. Decide when to re-audit again to ensure the change has lasted e.g. 4-6 months and use the Project Monitoring form to keep track.
Top tip
“What gives you joy, a spark?”
Consider a face-to-face meeting with your local link worker.
Introducing ours to the clinical team greatly helped to understand the role and holistic approach used to identify a patient’s priorities (including using questions like that above). It was not just about the wide range of activities and resources which were available in our local area, but what barriers patients faced at that time, and how it was crucial to work alongside the patient to find the right time to engage in the right activity.
From this 30-minute encounter we could better understand the benefits of social prescribing, which patients may be most appropriate to refer, and how to do this quickly.
How to scale this project up or down
| Please note - Use of this project requires NetworkPLUS membership. If you would like to share this project with others, please invite them to purchase their own membership—access must not be shared with non-members. |
Share your project with your PCN, Federation, ICB (England) or Cluster, Health Board (Scotland or Wales) or GP federation, Health Trust (Northern Ireland), so the learning can be shared and the project easily implemented by other practices too.
Case study
A 75-year-old gentleman spoke to his GP about low mood, insomnia and isolation after his wife died several months before, in addition to worsening knee pain from osteoarthritis.
His GP referred him to the social prescriber for wellbeing support and to signpost to appropriate physical activity. He later joined a regular walking group and helps to run a gardening social group.
Six months later, his mood has significantly improved, he sleeps better and has found a new group of friends. He potentially avoided prescription of a pain medication and antidepressant, but most importantly he has a new sense of purpose and connection following his bereavement.
Patient Impact - Cornwall
Case study
When doing this QIP at my practice, I planned a week of wellbeing activities for staff to coincide with the training, so staff could experience personally some of the benefits of social prescribing – for example a yoga class, a nature walk and photo competition. It was wonderful to connect with staff in this way, and particularly emphasised the value of nature and physical activity in wellbeing.
GP, Bristol
Staff Impact
Have you completed this QIP?
Tell us a little about your project in order to generate a certificate showing the probable benefits. This project may help with CQC evidence submission (see disclaimers).
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