A partnership of care organisations in the West Country is planning to use a digital platform for social prescribing in healthcare.
Sirona care & health, a community interest company (CIC) that provides community services across Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire (BNSSG), has begun to work with local GP surgeries, the BNSSG Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), OneCare (the local GP federation) and Elemental Software.
They are making the company’s social prescribing platform available to all GP practices in the region, with roll out due to begin after Easter,
Julie Sharma, Sirona’s director of transformation, said: “People have told us that often non-clinical support can really help improve their quality of life and their health and wellbeing but they don’t always know where to go for this assistance.
“Our community teams, GPs and organisations within the voluntary sector know exactly what is available in each area and this system will help to bring it together for those in our care and our communities.
“It means a GP can connect an individual to activities close to their home which will enable them to improve their wellbeing in a way which suits them; this could be by linking them to a walking group, advice on healthy eating or a support group for a specific condition.”
The Elemental platform pulls together information from councils, health and social care trusts, community and voluntary sector organisations, housing associations, prisons and education organisations for developing the social prescribing model of care.
Image from iStock, Berekin Health
