One Northern Devon Social Prescribing Teams
With the advent of NHSE-funded Primary Care Network (PCN) Link Workers, there is an opportunity to begin to establish equity of social prescribing provision across the population. Following the development of Primary Care Networks throughout the UK in February this year, each Primary Care Network will now be receiving funding to employ a full time Social Prescribing link worker. One Northern Devon are currently exploring ways of developing a Community Development role which will focus on increasing community capacity to support social prescribing.
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One Barnstaple Flow Project
The One Barnstaple Flow project aims to understand how best to support individuals with complex needs by tailoring what we offer to people’s individual needs. Professionals from the public and voluntary sectors first begin with trying to understand individuals, their aspirations and the circumstances that will help and hinder them in reaching those aspirations.
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High Intensity User Network
Following work carried out by One Northern Devon to scope out current work with frequent service attenders, and in line with the principles of the Flow project which is currently limited to Barnstaple residents, One Northern Devon is seeking funding to create a High Intensity User service aimed at supporting some of the most vulnerable people in North Devon & Torridge. Natural by-products of doing the ‘right thing’ for this client group are significant societal benefits, as well as financial savings to the health and social care system and wider public sector.
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Suicide Prevention Pledge
One Northern Devon developed a joint suicide prevention campaign to encourage partners to sign up to a pledge in conjunction with Devon and Torbay Suicide Prevention Allliance. The One Northern Devon Stop Suicide Pledge encourages people to talk about suicide and direct people to support. You can sign the Stop Suicide Pledge and find resources to help you support people by visiting the Devon and Torbay Suicide Prevention Alliance website
Click here for more information on One Northern Devon joining together in suicide prevention pledge
One Northern Devon Social Prescribing Network
Social prescribing is an example of the person-centred work that One Northern Devon promotes. There has been an inequity of access to a social prescriber[1] within the communities of North Devon and Torridge for many years. There has been a patchwork of provision, some of it voluntary, some of it publicly funded but no overall sight of everything that is available, nor a mechanism to compare models or outcomes.
One Northern Devon has created two structures – the OND Communities Group and the OND Social Prescribing Network – which will enable the system to:
- understand the social prescribing provision currently available
- identify the gaps in that provision
- seek to ensure equity of provision by sourcing funding to fill those gaps; and
- monitor the activity and outcomes of the various social prescribing schemes.
The One Northern Devon Social Prescribing Network was created following feedback from social prescribing practitioners that they often felt isolated in their role without peers to support them. The network now includes 17 practitioners ranging from volunteers, those employed as PCN link workers, to those funded by other public bodies. Meetings are held every 6 weeks, and complex cases are discussed anonymously with practitioners across the locality offering advice and support such as joint visits. In addition, the group has carried out a baseline training needs assessment and booked training sessions to address those needs such as motivational interviewing techniques and suicide awareness.
[1] We are using the term Social Prescriber here to include Community Connectors and other forms of link worker.
One Northern Devon Communities Group
The One Northern Devon Communities group is the forum where representatives from the One Towns meet to share information, ideas and discuss common barriers. Where solutions can’t be found, these are escalated to the One Northern Devon board. Social prescribing is also a standing agenda item at these meetings. Funders of social prescribing attend these meetings and the group has now established a reporting mechanism for the social prescribing services that have recently been commissioned through iBCF funds.
- Click here for minutes and agendas of the OND Communities Group
- Click here for model One Town Terms of Reference for adaptation by each One Town
One Northern Devon Frequent Attenders
This developing workstream is being led by Superintendent Toby Davies with the first stage being to scope what work is currently happening in the Northern Devon system to support frequent attenders. More information about findings and recommendations will be published in the Autumn.