NASP welcomes new NICE guidelines for people with depression

2021-11-23T16:17:16+00:00

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has published new draft guidelines for how to identify, treat and manage depression. The guidance recognises the importance of having a 'menu of options' for the treatment of less severe depression. It recommends that doctors talk to patients about what would suit them best, including the offer of exercise, mindfulness or meditation sessions, as well as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). What matters to each individual At the National Academy for Social Prescribing, we welcome the new guidelines, which focus on what matters to each individual. Antidepressants and other medication can play an [...]

NASP welcomes new NICE guidelines for people with depression2021-11-23T16:17:16+00:00

Getting veteran friendly accredited shows your veteran patients that you understand and care

2021-11-16T12:09:40+00:00

Ashlee Manning is a social prescribing GP link worker for Herts Help.  She is also an Armed Forces veteran. As a veteran, I found adjusting to civilian life difficult.  I joined the army at 16.  When I left in my 20s I felt ill-prepared and didn’t know how to explain what I’d been through to friends and family.  I didn’t know what support was out there and how to ask for help. There are 2.2 million veterans like me in England.  Yet around half of GP practices don’t know how many veterans they have - simply because they aren’t aware of [...]

Getting veteran friendly accredited shows your veteran patients that you understand and care2021-11-16T12:09:40+00:00

Victorious Women of Valiant Workshop: supporting survivors of domestic abuse

2021-10-05T11:23:55+01:00

Janet Walker, founder of Victorious Women of Valiant and a domestic abuse survivor, tells us about the service she offers to other women who have been through similar experiences.    Victorious Women of Valiant Workshop is a three week series of four hour sessions designed to help women overcome the trauma of domestic abuse (DA) and reduce the mental health impact this may have caused.   As a DA survivor from an 18 year marriage, I have lived experience, and I identified key areas that helped me to recover from the trauma of the abuse. I wanted to use what I had learned and the skills I had developed [...]

Victorious Women of Valiant Workshop: supporting survivors of domestic abuse2021-10-05T11:23:55+01:00

‘Get Fishing for Wellbeing’ resource hub launched

2021-09-08T16:09:58+01:00

The Angling Trust are excited to announce the launch of a new ‘Get Fishing for Wellbeing’ resource hub at  www.anglingtrust.net/getfishingforwellbeing   Angling offers the opportunity to escape the demands of a busy work and home life by surrounding yourself in nature and wildlife away from a world of technology. It provides an opportunity for our minds to rest and reset and can be a meditative pastime that often happens in places where the wonders of nature are very evident. Our new online resource hub shows allcomers how to incorporate angling in activity to support mental health and wellbeing. [...]

‘Get Fishing for Wellbeing’ resource hub launched2021-09-08T16:09:58+01:00

Freedom to Be – supporting shielding patients with creativity

2021-08-09T16:05:12+01:00

The Freedom to Be programme was rapidly co-designed and delivered by the Free Space Project in the summer of 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, in response to an urgent request by two GPs to support “shielding” patients in Camden. These patients were defined at being at high risk of complications if they were to contract Coronavirus, and therefore extremely vulnerable and were required to shield and self-isolate. The Free Space Project are the in-house arts and community charity based within Kentish Town Health Centre in London. The charity came together with GPs across two of their supporting surgeries to creatively [...]

Freedom to Be – supporting shielding patients with creativity2021-08-09T16:05:12+01:00

Share and Care Homeshare – providing affordable companionship and help

2021-02-23T10:23:53+00:00

Share and Care Homeshare was established in 2006 to address a growing need for affordable companionship and practical help. Below is what inspired Caroline Cooke to launch this very helpful initiative. When my father was diagnosed with dementia my mother was his primary carer, which left her feeling low, tired and isolated, despite the support of family and friends. Being his carer was a tiring role, particularly as his illness progressed. My mother did not want to leave him alone at home for more than brief periods. She became very restricted and had to rely on friends and [...]

Share and Care Homeshare – providing affordable companionship and help2021-02-23T10:23:53+00:00

Fostering ‘Response-ability’

2021-02-15T11:00:32+00:00

Maintaining Resilience and Wellbeing in the face of a public health crisis: Fostering ‘Response-ability’ by remembering that we are capable of choosing our response to challenging situations. This is based on Epictetus’ understanding that ‘People are disturbed not by things but by the view they take of them.’ Hence, the key to emotional intelligence and wellbeing is not to avoid challenging situations; but rather to choose an effective attitude towards them. This insight is the basis of the A-B-C Model of Emotional Health: ‘A’ = the ‘Activating Event’ eg. Change in working patterns due to the corona virus [...]

Fostering ‘Response-ability’2021-02-15T11:00:32+00:00

Getting involved in my community turned my life around

2021-06-01T12:22:43+01:00

About four years ago, I was sitting at home contemplating the fact that I had nothing to look forward to other than really waiting to die. I was a full-time carer to my very disabled husband and had significant health problems such as COPD, asthma and angina and had totally written myself off. I couldn’t be bothered to go out, to see anyone, to engage with anyone, and on reflection I think I was probably very very depressed. The only activity that I had which I enjoyed was taking my little dog, Pip, who was a registered pets [...]

Getting involved in my community turned my life around2021-06-01T12:22:43+01:00

Goldies Live – fun, free sing-a-longs from the sofa

2021-07-13T12:37:25+01:00

The Goldies Charity are well known and loved for our daytime Sing&Smile sessions. These sessions, prior to the lockdown, numbered 220 groups across England and Wales, reaching 3500 people every month. These fun social sing-a-long sessions, alongside intergenerational activities, Age Awareness days, concerts and festive celebrations, aim to combat isolation with older isolated and often vulnerable people, building stronger communities and supportive friendships. The COVID-19 pandemic has meant the temporary closure of all Sing&Smile sessions across England and Wales from March 2020. But we adapted quickly with the launch of our first ever digital service - GoldiesLive - [...]

Goldies Live – fun, free sing-a-longs from the sofa2021-07-13T12:37:25+01:00

Help Gardening4Health connect people to gardening

2021-01-13T16:35:25+00:00

As a GP and both a keen gardener and a trainee in Garden Design I have long been aware of the benefits that come from gardening and horticulture for both myself and my own well-being, but more importantly for that of my patients. The COVID-19 pandemic and the UK lockdown in 2020 saw a rapid growth in the wider use of gardening to maintain mental and physical well-being for many people. Moreover, there has been a steady growth in recent years of organisations across the UK that provide social and therapeutic horticulture for service users. People living with [...]

Help Gardening4Health connect people to gardening2021-01-13T16:35:25+00:00
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