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LONDON SOCIAL PRESCRIBING NEWSLETTER
ISSUE 16/ April 2022
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 Hello all,
April is 'Stress Awareness Month' and a lot of initiatives focus on this topic - starting with wellbeing tips and finishing with more in-depth solutions to support people in crisis such as the Trauma informed practice training offered in the context of a humanitarian crisis caused by the war in Ukraine.
May will be focused on Mental Health - with MH Awareness Week 9th - 15th May.
Focusing on your wellbeing - have you tried our Peer Support sessions and/or SP Outreach Calls WhatsApp group? These groups are there if you need to reduce the level of stress but also to keep feeling connected to other colleagues in Social Prescribing roles and to acquire skills useful in your practice. Our Peer Support session on Tuesday 3rd May will be facilitated using a co-consulting method that SPLWs learned as part of the London SP Advocates Programme.
Also - feel free to use our London Social Prescribing Map resource to find out about other services across London and reach out to their representatives.
It would be great if you complete the Temperature Check Survey this month too - it allows us to gather an actual picture of the situation in London.
Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions, suggestions or innovative ideas related to social prescribing!
Have a great Bank Holiday weekend!
Lianna Martin & Justyna Sobotka
Signing up to the mailing list
If you know of a new SPLW, Care Coordinator or Health and Well Being Coach that has started in post, please feel free to pass on this newsletter and ask them to sign up to receive news about events, learning opportunities and general updates about social prescribing and other ARRS roles.
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1. Monthly SPLW Temperature Check Survey. Complete. Read more...
2. Social Welfare Legal Advice, General Practice and Social Prescribing training. Read more...
3. London Social Prescribing Map. Read more...
4. Social Prescribing Outreach Support group via WhatsApp. Read more...
5. Developing Children and Young People's Social Prescribing in London Read more...
6. FAQ: Recommended yearly caseload for Social Prescribing Link Workers. Read more...
7. Information for Care Coordinators and Health and Well Being Coaches. Read more...
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LONDON SPLW TEMPERATURE CHECK
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SPLW temperature check form. Please complete this month survey here.
Being a Social Prescribing Link Worker is a complex and demanding professional role. Although we hope you enjoy your daily tasks and find the role very rewarding, we are also aware of aspects you may struggle with. Therefore, we would like to gain more insight into your perception of the role. We would appreciate if you could spend one minute every month giving marks to some aspects of your work in this anonymised form
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NHS ENGLAND UPDATES, SESSIONS & SUPPORT
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Every other Wednesday: 1.00/1.30pm - 2.30pm
Once you register for an event, you will receive a joining link on the morning of the event.
11/05/2022: Approaches to multi-disciplinary working, managing complexity and caseload. Sign up.
08/06/2022: Expanding your link worker workforce, with targeted roles. Sign up.
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 Biweekly, OPEN DROP IN sessions. Sign up here.
Next session: Tuesday 03/05/2022, 4.00pm - 5.30pm;
This is an open, informal session, where all can offload, discuss the challenges posed by their work and how they are feeling. Whilst practical solutions may be discussed, this is very much a session to grab a coffee, come and 'breathe out'! Attend as many as you like.
Our Peer Support session on Tuesday 3rd May will be facilitated using a co-consulting method that SPLWs learned as part of the London SP Advocates Programme.
 SP Service Managers peer support
Next session: Wednesday 11/05/2022, 3.30pm - 5.00pm
Fill this form to receive a diary invite to all sessions.
These run every month and will be a blend of updates and news from NHSE and your local systems, and smaller group work discussing prevalent challenges coming up in your work. It is a great opportunity to meet other managers and get in touch with the broader context of your work.
 Next session: TBC
We would like these sessions to address the most important aspects of your Social Prescribing roles.
It would be great if you could let us know what would you like to discuss, share and learn from each other. Feel free to contact Justyna via email (j.sobotka@nhs.net).
All past Peer Learning for London sessions and resources are available here.
 Social Welfare Legal Advice, General Practice and Social Prescribing online webinar series.
Supported by the Mayor of London, the HLP and BBBC are working together to organise a series of six webinars this year. The webinar series will explore examples of effective working between social welfare legal advice, General Practice and social prescribing, and focus on some of the key areas of advice such as Housing, Fuel Poverty/Fuel Debt, etc.
Register now to discuss the importance of social welfare and benefits advice for better health equality, and hear about the new projects being launched this year. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to get on board with this exciting development!
Discussion points:
- Why is it important to improve access to benefits, rights and entitlements to contribute to tackling health inequalities?
- How can social prescribing help?
- What is needed to improve access to welfare and benefits advice across London?
- How can you contribute in your local area?
Dates:
- Online webinar 1 on Better benefits, rights & entitlements access to tackle health inequalities: Thurs 19 May 2022 at 12:30-14:00 + Q&A session 14:00 - 15:00 Register here.
- Online webinar 2 on Fuel Poverty: Fri 24 June 2022 at 12:30-14:00.
- Online webinar 3 on Debt: Fri 26 August 2022 at 12:30-14:00
- Online webinar 4 on Housing: Fri 14 October 2022 at 12:30-14:00
- Online webinar 5 on Welfare Rights: Fri 9 December 2022 at 12:30-14:00
- Online webinar 6: Fri 24 February 2022 at 12:30-14:00
11/05/2022, 12.30 - 2.00pm
Social Prescribing, Employment, Adult Education, Mental Health & Loneliness. Register here.
As part of Mental Health Awareness week, Healthy London Partnership (HLP) and Learning and Work Institute are holding an event to discuss social prescribing to adult education and employment for people with mental health needs.
Social prescribing could be a key tool to address the mental health crisis we are facing right now. One in four people is facing mental health issues in the UK. The 2018 London Health Inequalities Strategy named the growth of social prescribing as one of its key five ambitions to address health inequalities and loneliness in London. This webinar will bring together key stakeholders ranging from practitioners to policymakers to discuss the role of social prescribing in supporting people’s mental health needs in London by engaging them in activities related to Employment and Adult Education.
Research and insights into social prescribing, work, health and learning will be shared at this event.
Professor Kevin Fenton, CBE, UK Health Security Agency, will open the discussion, and the event will be chaired by Jemma Gilbert, OBE, Director of Transformation, Healthy London Partnership.
Our Guest Speakers include:
- Naomi Phillips, Deputy Chief Executive, Director of Policy and Research, Learning and Work Institute
- Ben Taylor, Chief Executive, Bromley, Lewisham and Greenwich Mind
- Matthew Pike, CEO, Health Place
- Lizzie Woodward, Mental Health Social Prescribing Link Worker, One Westminster
Who should attend?
Social Prescribing Link Workers, Social Prescribing Managers, policymakers, public health experts and anyone who is interested in improving social prescribing.
Please get in touch if you have ideas for future sessions.
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WHAT IS LONDON WORKING ON...
...and how you can support
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 London Social Prescribing Advocates Programme.
Working together to make social prescribing thrive across London.
Our April meeting focused on sharing success to inspire others and issues related to peer support.
Our guest speaker - Dan Hopewell, Director of Knowledge and Innovation from Bromley-by-Bow Centre shared some techniques we could use to facilitate local peer support sessions. The session was a great opportunity to brainstorm ideas, discuss challenges, share and learn from each other!
Click here to learn more and/or to join the Programme.
The London Social Prescribing Map
London Social Prescribing Map co-produced with SP Managers, Lead SPLWs and VCSE organisations provides details related to all the amazing services across London - if yours is not yet added please complete this form and we will include all sent information. Click on the tags and you will find out more about the number of SPLWs, specialisms, what tech is supporting, who the key contacts are and so on. This is very much a prototype and we hope to develop - so all comments welcome to j.sobotka@nhs.net
 Social Prescribing Outreach Support group via WhatsAppDo you sometimes feel like you need a quick check in with someone? Perhaps the kind of conversation you might have had with a desk neighbour at work? One of the London SP Advocates has set up the
Social Prescribing Outreach Support group via WhatsApp. It has been created to help connect SPLWs across London, allowing for all SPLWs to access immediate telephone support as and when they need it. This is an entirely peer-led initiative - if you are SPLW based in London feel free to join!
Developing Children and Young People's Social Prescribing in London. Read more...
CYP Social Prescribing is a developing area and NHS England is supporting the expansion of CYP SP services. There is a CYP SP space on the FutureNHS Collaboration Platform so you may find it useful to see resources from other parts of the country and engage in discussions. Here is the link to the site and if you need access then please email england.socialprescribing@nhs.net. We also have our London Region CYP site available here. Please contact Suzi Griffits or complete this form if you would like to join the next CYP SP Community of Practice meeting!
Please send us your great ideas!
It is also absolutely crucial that you all have the opportunity to shape the support you are receiving and would love to hear what you might find useful or any ideas you may have.
You can use this simple form or email us.
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SOCIAL PRESCRIBING
Special Thanks And Recognition
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Special Thanks And Recognition to Raquel Cerezo Martin, Social Prescribing Link Worker in Cranbrook Primary Care Network, Redbridge - thank you for the extraordinary work and inspiration you bring to your team and our London Social Prescribing community!
 Raquel Cerezo Martin
Social Prescribing Link Worker
Cranbrook Primary Care Network
HealthBridge Direct
Redbridge |
'Raquel is truly one of the most supportive, caring colleagues I have ever had the privilege of working with. And she's not even in my borough! In fact, she's all the way over in Redbridge, while I'm in Streatham. We have been supporting each other for one year online, and she has been such an excellent source of information and encouragement. She is always quick to share resources, training, links, and positive vibes. She is constantly learning and developing herself and giving her best to her PCN and patients. Not only is she a really helpful, optimistic team player, she is very invested in the role, and has now even become one of the social prescribing advocates. She is passionate about improving systems and services available to people, and bringing more awareness to social prescribing. I am hoping with this that she can see how amazing she is! Very well done Raquel, you're doing so well!' |
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North East London pioneering leadership programme for Social Prescribing Link Workers
The first cohort of 11 SPLWs graduate from the North East London Emerging Leaders Link Worker (ELLW) Programme 24th March 2022
This innovative 3-month leadership skills development programme has been created by Gita Malhotra, to develop leadership capability for personalisation in NEL. The programme is built on the well-established principles of authentic leadership, with practical skills development to unlock the potential, the ambition and talent of SPLWs in NEL.
The North East London Emerging Leaders Link Worker (ELLW) Programme has also been shortlisted by the National Association of Link Workers in the 'Social Prescribing Workforce Initiative of the Year' category in the Link Worker Day 2022 Awards.
Read more about this amazing programme here.
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Do you know a Social Prescribing Link Worker, a Clinician or a Practice Manager who does extraordinary work in this field? If so - please let us know so we could publish a Special Thanks and Recognition (STAR) in our London Social Prescribing Newsletter! Please submit your nominations here.
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THE QUESTIONS YOU ARE ASKING
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Many of you get in touch with pertinent questions many other SPLWs are also wondering. We hope to answer the popular ones here... email us to submit any burning questions!
Q15: What is a recommended yearly caseload for Social Prescribing Link Workers? Is it true that it was increased in the new 2022/2023 DES contract?
A15: The recommended caseload for Social prescribing Link Worker is 200-250 annually.
The Network Contract Directed Enhanced Service. Investment and Impact Fund 2022/23: Updated Guidance document includes information about new targets to be achieved by Social Prescribing services, not an individual Social Prescribing Link Worker.
The SP service's targets are now 1.2% of registered patients referred to social prescribing service (to achieve the Lower Threshold) and 1.6% (to achieve the Upper Threshold). PCNs are able to gain max. 20 points worth £200 each, as an incentive for achieving the IIF targets.
A crucial note is included in the 'Additional information' section (page 35 - 37): 'Social Prescribing Link Workers give people time to talk and focus on what matters to them as a person, as identified through shared decision-making or personalised care and support planning. They connect people to community groups and agencies for practical and emotional support. In the context of COVID-19, and ongoing self-isolation for some individuals, provision of high-quality social prescribing services can help prevent loneliness, or worsening physical health for at risk individuals. Capacity of the social prescribing service should be considered when making referrals. Where the social prescribing service is provided within the practice/PCN, individual Social Prescribing Link Worker caseloads are recommended to be between 200-250 annually.'
This is supported by NHS England Social prescribing and community-based support Summary guide (page 14) section on workload: 'Link workers typically work with people over 6-12 contacts (including phone calls and meetings) over a three-month period (depending on what the person needs) with a typical annual caseload of up to 250 people, depending on the complexity of people’s needs and the maturity of the social prescribing scheme.'
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 Guidance to support Ukrainians arriving in the UK
Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities:
Welcome guide
Guidance for councils
Sponsor guidance
Questions and answers on how the Homes for Ukraine scheme will work
Doctors of the world:
How the NHS works (English)
How the NHS works (Ukrainian)
How the NHS works (Russian)
 1. Supporting the mental health and wellbeing of displaced Ukrainians.
Explore a short guide designed to help families create a safe and welcoming environment for displaced Ukrainians arriving to the UK. Outlined in the guidance are some simple dos and don’ts, based on the experiences of other groups of refugees.
2. Updated wellbeing support for Afghan evacuees in London
Explore a range of updated resources to support the mental health and wellbeing of the Afghan community – both for newly arrived evacuees and the many Afghans already living in the capital.
3. Supporting refugees with their mental health – a training video
Thrive LDN and the Refugee Council have developed a short video for volunteers and professionals on engaging with refugees and asylum seekers, particularly in relation to supporting mental health and wellbeing.
 Help Yourself and Others - access here.
Help Yourself and Others focuses on things that enable good wellbeing, from social connections, keeping active and self-care, to tools for those volunteering in the community. Alongside free wellbeing training opportunities.
For those who need it, you're only one click away from more direct support, such as NHS talking therapies or urgent helplines.
 New Report: Social prescribing – Rapid Response Social Prescribing, a Covid crisis response with long-term learning for the sector.
A report into this enhanced social prescribing service introduced by the Bromley by Bow Centre in 2020 has been published. One of the Centre’s most effective responses to COVID-19, was the establishment of a multidisciplinary health and social prescribing team who began to actively reach out to patients, called Rapid Response Social Prescribing.
Read the full article here to learn more about the outcomes that were found! Download the report here.
 Mayor of London's Health & Wellbeing Newsletter
The monthly publication will be a chance to let you know what the Mayor is doing for Londoners in all the areas of health. Want to stay informed? Please register to receive the newsletter by filling out your contact details here: https://www.london.gov.uk/what-we-do/health/health-newsletter. Feel free to follow @LDN_Health for regular updates from the Mayor of London team.
 Being online in your 80s: waste of time or lifeline? Read here.
 Homeshare programme for older people or people with support needs.
Share and Care Homeshare is a community interest company that matches older people, or people with support needs, with a live-in sharer who volunteers 15 hours a week of practical help and company to enable the householder to continue living as independently as possible in their own home. As a proven, safe, vetted and supported option, homeshare arrangements can sit alongside other support, such as a personal care package. As well as the practical benefits of homeshare – cooking and sharing meals, picking up shopping and other help around the home – it supports positive mental health and wellbeing, reducing anxiety and loneliness. Feel free to contact Share and Care Homeshare on 020 3865 3398 or email info@shareandcare.co.uk. They also have a dedicated section for healthcare professionals at www.shareandcare.co.uk, plus a link to a free Zoom weekly seated exercise class.
 London Social Prescribing Network Newsletter (for voluntary organisations) Subscribe here.
Monthly news, views, insights and opportunities around London. We encourage you to access the London Social Prescribing Network's extensive, up-to-date list of resources to help you and your practice, including explaining what social prescribing is, useful reports, research and organisations to refer people to.
 London Plus Newsletter. Subscribe here.
Do you work in or with the voluntary sector in London? London Plus’s monthly newsletter includes the latest news, funding, resources, reports, and events for London’s charities & community groups. Subscribe to their mailing list here.
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OTHER EVENTS, WEBINARS AND TRAINING
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 5th May 2022, 9:00am-1:00pm
London Health Creation Spring Festival. Register here.
A virtual festival, led by NE London, and open to everyone working in health and social care across London, with speakers and discussion coming live from the Bromley by Bow Centre
Influence the future as we come through the pandemic
Programme: fairer systems and healthier places; restoring trust; moving from trauma to healing; kindness; gratitude; relational leadership; commissioning compassionate care; overcoming racism and exclusion; losing the primary/secondary care interface; inclusion health; prescribing clean air and examples of health creation in action!
Regenerating ourselves, our systems, our world.
 9th May 2022, 9.30am - 12.30pm
Early stage dementia awareness training for social prescribers, from Arts 4 Dementia. Book your place here.
18th May 2022, 10.00 - 11.00am
Empowering People with Dementia Through the Arts, from Arts 4 Dementia. Register here.
The arts - from painting and sculpture to singing and dance - can be life changing for people with dementia and their companions. Arts activities empower, inspire, and improve confidence, helping people retain their identity and live happier lives in the community. Join Arts 4 Dementia’s Chief Executive, Penny Fosten, and their inspirational partners and participants, as they explore the benefits of the arts for brain health and wellbeing, as part of Dementia Action Week and Creativity and Wellbeing Week.
At the end of the webinar there will be an opportunity to ask our panel your own questions about our work, explore how to bring this into your work, or how to improve the impact of work you're already doing.
 10th May 2022, 10.00am - 4.00pm
How to Embed and Scale Green Social Prescribing. Register here.
A cross government conference to discuss how to embed and scale green social prescribing to prevent and tackle mental ill-health.
10th, 17th and 24th May
Trauma informed practice training. Sign up here.
This is an introduction into trauma informed practice delivered by Nicola Lester Psychological Trauma Consultancy in partnership with Thrive LDN. The training is aimed for professionals and volunteers in community and grassroots organisations who are supporting the response. Places are free and unlimited, so please do encourage sign ups amongst your networks as this is a limited opportunity.
The training programme offers workshops at three levels: foundation, intermediate and advanced. Participants are encouraged to consult the learning outcomes to guide them as to which level would best suit their training needs, or their level of interest in this topic.
Whilst the course has a central focus on trauma informed practice in the context of a humanitarian crisis, it also provides an introduction to trauma informed approaches which can be applied in a broader context to develop current practice across a range of areas including third-sector, health, social care, mental health and uniformed services.
Given London’s commitment to welcoming displaced Ukrainians into the community, this training is essential and timely in ensuring that professionals, volunteers and services are both informed and equipped with the skills and knowledge to offer care and support to this population from the moment that they arrive.
 12th May 2022, 11.00am - 12.00
Loneliness in context of the cost of living crisis in London. Register here.
For Mental Health Awareness week, the Greater London Authority (GLA), in partnership with Thrive LDN, is holding an event to explore loneliness in the context of the cost of living crisis in London. The GLA’s recent Reconceptualising Loneliness in London report found more than 700,000 Londoners experienced severe loneliness prior to the pandemic, and Londoners are more likely than people in other parts of Britain to be affected by it.
This event will explore the link between financial hardship and loneliness and how actors in London can help reduce and prevent rises in severe loneliness and negative impacts on mental health and wellbeing as many Londoners face a cost of living crisis.
16th May 2022, 3.00pm - 4.00pm 
NASP webinar: Exploring funding models in the voluntary and community sector. Register here.
Join us for this webinar where we will discuss different sources of funding available to the VCFSE sector and the specific needs of funding social prescribing. You will come away with an enhanced understanding of different types of funding and how to go about approaching these. Please note, we will not be talking about specific funding opportunities and we cannot promise to cover every possible avenue of funding available.
Future webinars (subject to change):
24 May: Measuring and Communicating Results with Impact
7 June: Volunteering
Previous webinars are available on Thriving Communities Webinars website.
 18th May – 19th May 2022, ExCel London
4th UK Annual #LinkWorkerDay2022 Conference. Register here.
Join National Association of Link Workers (NALW) for the 4th UK Annual #LinkWorkerDay2022 Conference taking place at The Healthcare Show, the UK’s largest gathering of senior healthcare managers, directors, C-suite leaders and clinicians working in a range of sectors across the NHS, public health, VCSE and private sector.
Please continue to follow us on Twitter: London Social Prescribing  @SP_LDN and use #LondonSocialPrescribing to let us know about your Social Prescribing schemes/ projects in London!/
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The Reconceptualising Loneliness in London
Notably, the findings suggest that loneliness is not felt equally across the city’s communities, and the pandemic is likely to have made things worse. Even before the pandemic, loneliness was fast becoming one of the major public health challenges of our time.
Severe loneliness is connected to a range of negative physical health outcomes and has clear social and economic costs. These research findings have wide-reaching implications for a range of policy areas from health, civil society and regeneration to housing, equalities, and asylum welcome.
We’re encouraging anyone who is feeling lonely or knows someone who is struggling to check out for a range of tools and tips from ThriveLDN to help.
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CARE COORDINATORS
& HEALTH AND WELL BEING COACHES
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Please pass the following onto any Care Coordinators you know in London!
Access the London Care Coordinator Future NHS page to post on the discussion forum, access resources and events.
Calling all Health and Well Being Coaches in London
All London based HWBCs are invited to their monthly peer support event. The next meeting is on Wednesday 18th May 13.00-14.00 . Please pass this message on to any HWBCs you have in your network. They should have received a calendar invite already. If not, then please contact caroline.haines1@nhs.net
At the next event we will be discussing the following questions:
- What would make your working life easier or more effective?
- How do we assess whether someone is a “good” candidate for coaching?
If you have any SPLWs, HWBCs or CCs in your network that are not linked up to their regional support then please ask them to fill in this form.
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The Social Prescribing Collaboration Platform is a place for Social Prescribing Link Workers (SPLWs) working with Primary Care Networks (PCNs) to access key documents and updates about Social Prescribing to support you in your role.
SPLWs can also access resources such as webinar recordings, case studies and forums to seek peer support, and link with their regional networks and colleagues. The Collaboration Platform also hosts information relevant to colleagues working as commissioners of Social Prescribing services, PCN staff and ICS/STP staff.
Email england.socialprescribing@nhs.net to join NHS England and NHS Improvement Social Prescribing Newsletter.
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