NASP co-hosted the Medicine and Me Conference with the Royal Society of Medicine on 9th September, focusing on how social prescribing is transforming the way we look at health and wellbeing.
Highlights included an inspiring talk from Debs Teale about the life-changing impact that an art for wellbeing programme had on her mental health. She discussed moving from being a “passenger in my own life”, told by a psychiatrist that she would never work again, and taking 21 tablets per day, to finding a new sense of hope and confidence through painting.
The conference also featured personal accounts about older people from the South Asian community in Leicester, who had overcome isolation and poor health with support from our partner Reaching People.
By addressing not just the medical needs, but the cultural, emotional and social dimensions of health, we can significantly enhance wellbeing and reduce the reliance on healthcare resources.
NASP Chief Executive Charlotte Osborn-Forde discussed the remarkable results of the cross-Government Green Social Prescribing programme, which showed that nature programmes can support recovery from mental health problems successfully, and in a way that is cost-effective compared to other interventions. Dr William Bird demonstrated the impact that time in nature can have on our brains, and explained the links between access to green space, reduced stress and increased social connection.
NASP Global Development Lead Hamaad Khan showcased the international roll-out of social prescribing to more than 30 countries, as well as the need for healthcare professionals to take the time to listen to what matters to patients. He highlighted an American study that suggested that patients only get an average of 11 seconds to explain the reason for their visit before their doctors interrupt them.
Dan Hopewell reflected on the history of the pioneering Bromley-by-Bow Centre and made the case for greater ambition. If 80% of our health outcomes are determined by social factors, Dan argued, it makes sense to invest in providing social support through link workers.
Giles Wilmore from Music in Mind spoke movingly about the power of music to transform the lives of people living with dementia and their carers. “This is the highlight of their week, their lifeline,” he said about the Music Cafes run in Manchester, before describing the ambitions of the UK’s first Centre of Excellence for Music and Dementia, supported by NASP’s Power of Music Fund.
NASP’s Tracey Lines and Nurjahan Ali Arobi spoke about the power of social prescribing to support young people and older people respectively. Tracey quoted statistics about the links between physical activity and mental health among young people, but warned that successful projects run by community sports trusts were often not well connected to the health system. This is why social prescribing is so vital, even if it is not always called by that name.
Nurjahan lamented the “cultural pessimism” that is often associated with ageing, as well as the knock-on impact of poverty on older people’s lives. Citing the pilot projects that NASP supports in Leicester and Hastings, she showed how social prescribing can give older people agency, new connections, skills and access to services. As Nurjahan said, “It’s benefiting so many people in so many different ways.”
