As part of the initiative, a social prescriber role has been established within the cardiology department at The James Cook University Hospital for an 18-month period.
A social prescriber is a non-clinical practitioner who provides short-term support to patients, helping them access community activities that promote better health and wellbeing while improving their quality of life.
The new role has been established at James Cook following the success of social prescribers in primary care models nationally and their role in linking people to their community.
Some of the patients under treatment at James Cook come from deprived areas and lead complex lives whilst facing several social and economic challenges alongside their physical and mental health needs.
To address this, Public Health South Tees and University Hospitals Tees partnered to invest in social prescribing.
Patients receiving care in cardiology will be referred to activities and support such as volunteering, arts, gardening, befriending, walking schemes and dance classes – if the need arises.
Since assuming the position as the hospital’s first social prescriber, Jane Cousins has raised awareness of the role of social prescribing and its benefits in cardiology — empowering staff to identify patients for referrals in the future.
Acting as a key link between patients and partner organisations, Jane will help individuals access services such as financial advice, food banks, housing assistance, and benefits support.
She will also signpost patients seeking guidance on carer needs, long-term health conditions, and issues such as domestic abuse or substance misuse.
By enabling patients to connect with tailored community-based support, the programme aims to foster sustainable improvements in mental and physical health.
Jane said:
I have had considerable experience in supporting patients to break down their barriers in positive support of their health and wellbeing. I am extremely excited about the prospect of taking this initiative to secondary care, especially in the cardiology department, where I have already identified the possible barriers for future referrals while shadowing.”
There are now more than 3,500 social prescribing workers across England and more than 2.5 million people have been referred to social prescribers nationally, and the numbers are rising fast.
Research into the impact of social prescribing has also shown a 15.4%–23.6% reduction in A&E attendances among patients who accessed social prescribing in Kent.
The same report also suggested that social prescribing helped lower secondary costs by 9.4% in Newcastle when compared to a matched control group where social prescribing was not available.
Consultant in public health Michelle Stamp said: “We are delighted to be working with Public Health South Tees on this exciting initiative that aims to address inequalities in our cardiovascular population.
“A social prescriber will be embedded in the cardiac pathway at James Cook to support patients following heart failure and cardiac rehabilitation with wider social and economic factors influencing their health and wellbeing by connecting them to community support services.
“Eligible patients referred onto the scheme will benefit from a tailor-made assessment by the social prescriber to address non-medical needs.
“The initiative will be fully evaluated to measure the effectiveness of embedding a social prescriber in secondary care pathways.”