Agenda item

To update the Board on the following actions:

·         Provide opportunities for people to socially connect through volunteering, mentoring and befriending initiatives, building on the good practice of local organisations and on the legacy of our Enfield Stands Together Programme.

·         Enable the increased use of social prescribing to help people of all ages take part in positive activities within their communities and improve their mental and physical health.

Duduzile Sher-Arami (Acting Director of Public Health) introduced the item, Social Prescription- London Borough of Enfield Public Health and provided an overview of latest developments around social prescription within the Council.

Social Prescribing is a way to help GPs and other frontline healthcare professionals to refer people to ‘services’ in their community instead of offering largely medicalised solutions. Often the first point of referral is a link worker who can talk to each person about the things that matter to them. Together they can produce a social as opposed to a medical prescription that will help to improve their health and well-being and address peoples’ needs in a holistic way.

The Board were advised that there is currently a lot of work taking place in Enfield around Social Prescribing and Enfield Council has a facilitative role in bringing partners together to look at how we develop Social Prescribing across the borough. Funding has recently been received from the Equalities levy through the Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) with a focus on young people at risk of becoming involved in serious youth violence.

Jo Ikhelef (CEO Enfield Voluntary Action) provided a further update, highlighting the following:

(i)            Social prescribing enables connections to non-medical activities and supports individuals to take greater control of their own health.

(ii)          It recognises that people’s health is determined by social, economic and environmental factors.

(iii)         There are many partners involved including Enfield Voluntary Action (EVA), Enfield Public Health, Voluntary and Community Groups (Including Equalities Groups), North Central London NHS, plus various others.

(iv)         Citizens Advice Enfield is one of the biggest activities that EVA connects with and at the centre of all the work are the Health Champions and Link Workers.

(v)          EVA’s approach is to put the Voluntary & Community Sector (VCS) at the heart of the system.

(vi)         Objectives include a community centred approach, co-production, peer support using lived experience and people in the lead.

(vii)        Methods of delivery include Health Champions, Simply Connect, volunteering, capacity building and grants programmes.

(viii)       Capacity building is a huge part of the work undertaken.

(ix)         Further information was provided on the EVA Health Champions. These are representatives of the VCS groups less engaged by the mainstream system where social exclusion and inequality has affected their health and wellbeing.

(x)          One in five GP appointments focus on wider social needs rather than acute medical issues.

(xi)         EVA funds two Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) advisers and the Link Workers connect many people to CAB.

(xii)        Simply Connect Enfield offers a searchable online directory of over 220 activities provided by community groups in Enfield for all age groups.

(xiii)       These activities include arts and crafts, outdoors, wellbeing, social groups, theatre, employment training, counselling and many more. This directory is updated weekly with new activities and information.

(xiv)      EVA employs 4 Link Workers for Unity Primary Care Network (PCN) and Evergreen PCN. They receive referrals from GPs for individuals presenting non-medical issues and then research and connect to relevant groups, activities and services to improve their health and wellbeing.

(xv)       A Health and Wellbeing Coach is employed by EVA for Unity PCN. Their role includes setting personal goals that will improve residents’ physical and mental wellbeing and they also take referrals from residents who are at high risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes and support them in managing their own health by changing unhealthy behaviour.

(xvi)      The Link Workers specialisms are employability & women, mental health& housing, physical activity & sports, care homes & LGBTQ+ and Diabetes.

(xvii)     Information was provided on how EVA’s Social Prescribing Project is funded, which includes National Lottery Funding, NHS England, Tudor Trust, Cornerstone Fund and various others.

(xviii)    EVA offers Enfield PCNs far more than a staff management role. Link Workers have access to VCS knowledge and statutory/health partners to build and shape the system.

(xix)      The whole system benefits from the resources and funding EVA levered for other programmes.

(xx)       Link Workers can identify gaps in provision, which development staff can respond to with funding applications, training and inclusion in networks responding to need.

(xxi)      If there appears to be any gaps appearing in the project ECVA will look at sourcing additional funding

Debbie-Ann Ofosuware (Public Health Practitioner) updated the Board on the Youth Alive- Social Prescribing Project, highlighting the following:

(i)            Youth Alive is a Social Prescribing Project for young people aged 10-19 in the Borough of Enfield. The project launch date is the 7^th October 2021.

(ii)          The objectives are to increase physical activity in young people, positively impact the individual and community and engage with partners locally and nationally.

(iii)         EVA has appointed a new Development and Funding Advice Manager who is project managing Youth Alive (YA) from EVA’s side.

(iv)         A Health Champions and Health and Wellbeing Youth Worker is also in post.

(v)          The targets set for the project are:

·         Aim to receive 135 referrals;

·         Aim to promote within schools and PCNs;

·         Aim to engage and scale up the approach across the borough

(vi)         Funding has been secured on the DOVE project funded by NCL inequalities fund. This will enable an addition of a new post of serious youth violence social prescriber

The following comments and questions were received:

1.    Councillor De Silva asked for some more information around capacity building and what this involved.

Jo explained that in terms of capacity building funding is a big barrier as well as time delays as getting onto the directory takes time due to data protection, safeguarding checks etc. Funding must then be available to get the projects up and running.

2.    Councillor Greer asked what plans are in place for when the current funding streams run out.

Jo advised that the Bigger Lottery Fund and Tudor Trust Fund come to an end next year, so discussions and forward thinking are now taking place regarding future funding options.

3.    Councillor Greer also asked what the workload of the Link Workers was.

Jo advised that currently the Link Workers see between 200 and 250 hundred patients per year

The Chair thanked everyone for their interesting updates. It was agreed that Kerree Ahern, Programme Manager of the Enfield Training Hub of the North Central London Commissioning Group be invited to a future meeting to provide an update on Social Prescribing activities and future plans for Enfield.

Action: Harriet Potemkin/Lucy Nasby