National Academy for Social Prescribing

❗Save the date for #SocialPrescribingDay❗ We are excited to share that Social Prescribing Day 2025 will be on the 19th March 🤩 Social Prescribing Day is an annual celebration of the people, organisations and communities who make social prescribing happen. By taking part you can help raise awareness of social prescribing and the impact it can have on people's lives ❤️ Get involved by hosting events, showcasing your work on social media or highlighting what you’re doing in the media. Find out more here: https://ow.ly/MF2T50TvYK1 Tell us how you're getting involved in the comments!

For many people the festive period can be challenging, exacerbating feelings of loneliness 😔 It can be hard to open up about these feelings but it's important to know that you aren't alone. Social prescribing can support you to find groups and activities that can help you feel less lonely. Read Dr Radha's 5 tips for if you're feeling lonely: https://ow.ly/G9JP50Uubc5

NASP were invited to speak on the Talking General Practice podcast by GPonline Charlotte Osborn-Forde, NASP's CEO and Dr Radha Modgil, GP and NASP's Ambassador Lead spoke about the latest evidence as well as how social prescribing supports general practice and the rest of the NHS. This podcast is available for GP Online members, you can access it here: https://ow.ly/Xn2850UuUrJ

📢 Are you looking for a new opportunity in 2025? We're looking for an Executive Director of Strategy & Partnerships to join our highly ambitious charity. The role will work across diverse sectors to improve healthcare in England and across the world through the development of social prescribing. Are you a pro-active and driven leader with strategic vision? You should be experienced working with government and comfortable building and developing partnerships at a national level. The Executive Director for Strategy and Partnerships is the second most senior role in NASP, with a remit for leadership across the organisation and responsibility to deputise for the CEO. To find out more and apply for this exciting opportunity, click the link: https://ow.ly/Cahy50UuOFY Please apply before the 20th January 2025.

The festive period can be hard for many people If your organisation does not offer a telephone support service, or will be closed over the holidays, NHS and Care Volunteer Responders are offering a 'Check In and Chat' service - now open for referrals. This free service provides friendly phone calls from volunteers, offering companionship and reassurance to those who may be isolated or in need of connection. Making a referral is quick and easy: 1️⃣ Ensure you have the person’s consent beforehand. 2️⃣ Make a referral online by following the on-screen prompts or call the Support Team on 0808 196 3382 for immediate assistance. The service is also open for self-referrals, allowing people to refer themselves or someone they know, provided they have permission. Click the link below to find out more or make a referral 👇

Sign up for 'Community-led Social Prescribing - Lessons from Big Local and Beyond' In this webinar on the 21st January, 12.00pm - 1.00pm we will share new findings from a year-long research project exploring the potential for greater community involvement in and leadership of social prescribing in England. This webinar will focus on three questions: ✅ What is ‘community-led social prescribing’ and how does it differ from other models of social prescribing? ✅ What are the barriers and enablers to community involvement in social prescribing? ✅ What are the benefits of community involvement in social prescribing, from the perspective of different stakeholders? Sign up for the webinar here: https://ow.ly/SrR450UrOLQ Sheffield Hallam University, Local Trust

Around one in five young people in England has a diagnosable mental health problem, and teenage life satisfaction rates are the lowest in Europe. We have consulted widely with charities, youth organisations, NHS teams, local authorities and researchers to map projects, find out what’s working well for children and young people, what the gaps are, and create a vision for the future. By creating a vision for social prescribing, which will be published early in 2025, we hope to build on the work that is already happening and create a structure and a roadmap for the future. Find out more here: https://ow.ly/uURO50UsFJc

Find out more about the Government funded Green Social Prescribing programme This webinar on the 15th January, 12.30pm - 1.30pm will share Learning from Phase One of the National Cross Government programme: Preventing and Tackling Mental Ill-health through Green Social Prescribing. This webinar will cover: 🌳Findings from the evaluation of the programme 🌱Perceptions of green social prescribing among clinicians and the public 🌼Findings on the national green social prescribing delivery capacity 🌻Priorities and the research focus for the one year extension of the programme Sign up here: https://ow.ly/IsT050UrK64

Read our new long-term conditions case study Long-term respiratory problems, such as COPD or asthma, can lead to social isolation, exacerbate mental health issues and have a lasting impact on people’s wider health 🫁 This Proactive Social Prescribing service was established by York CVS and the Humber and North Yorkshire ICB, the service contacts people directly, based on analysis of who might need support. They can then connect people to community support as well as the health system. Find out more about this project here: https://ow.ly/AtCK50UrETl

On Wednesday we were joined by leaders from health, civil society, finance and government to launch our new report, ‘Envisaging a Social Prescribing Fund’ at Royal Festival Hall. The report makes the case for a new fund to support community activities, groups and services that benefit people’s health and wellbeing. There was strong support and consensus that a strategic, collaborative approach to funding local groups is urgently required and an appetite to work together to take this forward. We heard from: ➡️ Charlotte Osborn-Forde, NASP Chief Executive ➡️ Andrew Bland, CEO of Southeast London ICB ➡️ Angela Rippon, former Strictly Come Dancing contestant and creator of the Let’s Dance campaign ➡️ Tracy Herd, Director at Movember ➡️ Matt Leach, CEO Local Trust ➡️ Professor Prof. Bola Owolabi, MRCGP MFPH(Hon), FRSPH, Director – National Healthcare Inequalities Improvement Programme, NHS England You can access the report here: https://ow.ly/qsT150Uq2nC