13 Dec The importance of creativity and Social Prescribing
Through the Social Prescribing art exhibition that Qube hosted in October, we wanted to encourage people to see the many possibilities of improving our populations health through creative means. We wanted to help show the connection between the creativity available in our communities with the people that can really benefit from participation in creative activity. The exhibition included pieces of art and craft from local artists and community art groups. It also include opportunity for people to contribute their ideas on a number of post-it note boards. At our opening we were fortunate to have artist Nichola Ethelston share about her work with art and mental health and also Sara Bellis from Get Out Get Arty sharing about the impact of her art in nature sessions for people’s health.
Left to right: Claire Sweeny (Healthy Lives Team Lead SCC), Lynsey Arnott and Lou Woolcock (Social Prescribing Community Engagement Team at Qube) and Emma Peace (Healthy Lives Advisor)
Social prescribing is a service that has existed across Shropshire since 2017 offering free confidential non-medical, non-clinical support to help improve health and wellbeing. Referred through a GP or self-referral, access is provided to sessions with a Healthy Lives advisor who sits within the GP practices throughout the county, or if you are a young person within the local schools. Health and wellbeing concerns are explored, and ways to address these identified, with the opportunity to be signposted and referred into all the amazing services, support and community activity that is available in the local area.
“I can’t thank my advisor enough for the support, guidance, understanding, reassurance and encouragement she has given me. I have been feeling better about going out and joining in other classes, since I have been supported by the Social prescribing support. Covid and Lock down had caused me to not want to go out a lot. But since joining an art class, this has helped a great deal and having a friend to go with is even better.” Feedback from someone accessing social prescribing
This year an independent investigation on the NHS, Lord Darzi’s report, found that the health of the nation is deteriorating. Healthy life expectancy has decreased, and more people are living with multiple long-term conditions, meaning there is increasing demand on the NHS.
Social prescribing is a preventative model of health care, which can, and is reducing this demand, positively impacting people’s wellbeing. In 2019 Shropshire contributed to the University of Westminster evaluation on social prescribing, showing high satisfaction with the service and a 40% reduction in GP and health appointments for those that attended. More recent data for our Shropshire service shows that 80% of those attending social prescribing have seen an improvement in their primary health concern.
In order to reduce pressure on the NHS in the long-term, we need to acknowledge that there are wider determinants of health – social, economic and environmental factors – that influence people’s health and wellbeing. We need to prioritise keeping people well by building a system that integrates addressing this whole picture.
Many of the community activity that we refer patients to through social prescribing makes a positive impact on these wider factors. And much of this activity that is good for wellbeing could be described as creative health. For example, singing programmes have improved respiratory symptoms with COPD and long-covid. Gardening can lower blood pressure and therefore reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. Movement or dance can improve strength, mobility and balance, reducing falls in older adults. Art programmes are shown to support the mental health and wellbeing of people living with cancer. Playing a musical instrument reduces cognitive decline, providing social benefits for people living with dementia. Walking in nature with others reduces the risk of loneliness and isolation. Through activities such as spoken word and photography people can share their lived experience of long-term health conditions, which not only helps raise confidence and help others cope, but also can shape health services going forward.
Lord Darzi’s report finds that under investment in community services has contributed to the pressures that hospitals face. In identifying key themes for the repair of the NHS, the report recommends that care is shifted closer to home, with primary, community and mental health services working together. Community-based initiatives with strong local knowledge and established relationships are often best placed to meet local need. As part of the social prescribing service, through the Community Connectors Network we host, opportunity to bring together stakeholders across health, local authority, culture, VCSE and private sectors facilitates information sharing, joins dots and provides effective health and wellbeing offers.
In Shropshire we are incredibly fortunate to have a vast array of valuable community assets such as galleries, libraries, allotments and community hubs that are already offering health and wellbeing programmes. Take for example Fordhall farm’s Renew and Restore programme in partnership with Lingen Davies. A programme full of creative opportunities for those going through cancer.
Thank you to all those who contributed to the exhibition from nature diaries, to zen tangles; from menopause paintings to wildlife banners; from giant sunflowers to colourful hearts.
For more information about the social prescribing service please take a look at our website https://qube-oca.org.uk/social-prescribing/.