Following a successful evaluation of the pilot scheme the funding from the Committee for Health & Social Care means that ‘BSP’ can now be offered sustainably alongside routine healthcare with a strong focus on prevention and early intervention.
BSP is a social prescribing scheme delivered by the Health Improvement Commission that links people to activities, groups, and services in the community to meet the practical, social and emotional needs that affect their health and wellbeing. It does this through Link Workers who provide people with personalised support to access social and community groups, voluntary organisations, and statutory services. This includes a range of options from physical activity and art to singing and green volunteering, as well as support to find help with issues such as housing, financial worries and bereavement. The scheme was developed as a pilot over the last 4 years with funding from the Guernsey Community Foundation, Public Health Services, the Health Improvement Commission and more recently the Social Investment Fund.
Data analysed from the project’s launch to December 2023, confirmed the scheme’s feasibility and positive impact. To date over 1000 people have been referred to BSP and 96% of local GPs have referred patients to the scheme. The pilot showed that 61% of people who engaged with BSP, from two Primary Care groups where attendance data were available, had fewer GP appointments (4.1 fewer appointments on average) in the 12 months after engaging with BSP compared to the 12 months before. The scheme was also strongly endorsed by GPs, Public Health Services and the community organisations that BSP refers to.
The new funding, from the Committee for Health & Social Care, will cover the scheme’s staffing and operational costs and allow for the recruitment of a further Link Worker and a part-time administrator to respond to strong demand for the scheme. Recruitment for these positions is now live click HERE for full job descriptions.
We are delighted that Bailiwick Social Prescribing now has secure funding and can continue to provide impactful support to people to improve their health and well-being. Social prescribing recognises the importance of the social causes of our health and the valuable contribution that non-medical community-based activities and support can make to improving personal, social and community well-being, and the challenges the Bailiwick faces in terms of an ageing population and increasing demand on health services.
I’d like to thank the BSP team for their hard work, the Committee for Health & Social Care and Public Health Services for supporting the scheme, and the Community Foundation, Social Investment Fund and Public Health for backing the pilot.