Dataset Information

Link Worker social prescribing to improve health and well-being for people with long-term conditions: qualitative study of service user perceptions.

ABSTRACT:

Objectives

To describe the experiences of patients with long-term conditions who are referred to and engage with a Link Worker social prescribing programme and identify the impact of the Link Worker programme on health and well-being.

Design

Qualitative study using semistructured interviews with thematic analysis of the data.

Intervention

Link Worker social prescribing programme comprising personalised support to identify meaningful health and wellness goals, ongoing support to achieve agreed objectives and linkage into appropriate community services.

Setting

Inner-city area in West Newcastle upon Tyne, UK (population n=132?000) ranked 40th most socioeconomically deprived in England, served by 17 general practices.

Participants

Thirty adults with long-term conditions, 14 female, 16 male aged 40-74 years, mean age 62 years, 24 white British, 1 white Irish, 5 from black and minority ethnic communities.

Results

Most participants experienced multimorbidity combined with mental health problems, low self-confidence and social isolation. All were adversely affected physically, emotionally and socially by their health problems. The intervention engendered feelings of control and self-confidence, reduced social isolation and had a positive impact on health-related behaviours including weight loss, healthier eating and increased physical activity. Management of long-term conditions and mental health in the face of multimorbidity improved and participants reported greater resilience and more effective problem-solving strategies.

Conclusions

Findings suggest that tackling complex and long-term health problems requires an extensive holistic approach not possible in routine primary care. This model of social prescribing, which takes into account physical and mental health, and social and economic issues, was successful for patients who engaged with the service. Future research on a larger scale is required to assess when and for whom social prescribing is clinically effective and cost-effective.

SUBMITTER: Moffatt S

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5541496 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

Link Worker social prescribing to improve health and well-being for people with long-term conditions: qualitative study of service user perceptions.

Moffatt Suzanne S Steer Mel M Lawson Sarah S Penn Linda L O'Brien Nicola N

BMJ open 20170716 7

<h4>Objectives</h4>To describe the experiences of patients with long-term conditions who are referred to and engage with a Link Worker social prescribing programme and identify the impact of the Link Worker programme on health and well-being.<h4>Design</h4>Qualitative study using semistructured interviews with thematic analysis of the data.<h4>Intervention</h4>Link Worker social prescribing programme comprising personalised support to identify meaningful health and wellness goals, ongoing suppor ...[more]

PMID: 28713072

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Dataset Information

Link Worker social prescribing to improve health and well-being for people with long-term conditions: qualitative study of service user perceptions.

Objectives

Design

Intervention

Setting

Participants

Results

Conclusions

Publications

Link Worker social prescribing to improve health and well-being for people with long-term conditions: qualitative study of service user perceptions.

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