About social prescribing in Lincolnshire

Social prescribing connects patients to local services – such as sports, activity classes and volunteering opportunities – that can help them to feel better. It aims to address people’s needs in a holistic way and support individuals to take greater control of their own health.

People may visit their GP because they’re feeling stressed, depressed, have complex social needs or are feeling lonely and isolated. Often medication alone cannot fix these problems. Social prescribing link workers are available to create a shared plan for patients, helping them to understand their individual needs and build personal relationships.

In Lincolnshire, the social prescribing network is rapidly evolving and growing, with a wide range of link workers from Lincolnshire CVS and Voluntary Centre Services, as well as some primary care networks.

To find out more about social prescribing in the UK, visit the National Academy for Social Prescribing.

If you are an individual looking for social prescribing support visit Lincolnshire CVS website to find out more about their Self Referral process.

Social prescribing & physical activity

Physical activity is often not something a patient is seeking or realises they may benefit from – however, it can support a wide range of mental and physical health needs. That's why we support the local social prescribing network and link workers to connect patients with relevant physical activity opportunities, as well as providing advice to local sport and activity organisations about the services they can offer referrals.

At Active Lincolnshire, we work to:

• Support social prescribing partners, link workers and healthcare professionals with information about the importance of being active

• Provide link workers with access to a range of physical activity information and opportunities through the Let’s Move Lincolnshire Activity Finder

• Support physical activity providers to develop opportunities that meet the needs of local people that have been referred through the social prescribing pathway

If you’re a link worker, GP, healthcare professional or sport and activity provider and would like to learn more about social prescribing, please contact Donna Sutton.