If you've never heard of 'social prescribing', you're not alone.

Dawlish Nub News met with Rebecca White, a social prescriber at Barton Surgery, to find out more about this free NHS service.

What is social prescribing?

Rebecca said: "Our roles have been put in place to help patients with their health and wellbeing from a non-clinical point of view.

"We don't administer any medicines; things that we help patients with are the social, practical, and emotional aspects of their lives, and then seeing if there's anything within the community, or statutory services that might be able to help them move forward.

"Our role is designed to take pressures away from GPs, and give patients an opportunity to feel listened to.

"We're not trained counsellors but we certainly offer a space for patients to feel listened to and heard, almost like a sounding board, helping them identify where they want to be and how they're going to get there.

"We never underestimate the power of just listening."

Is this a new service?

Rebecca works in a team of three social prescribers across eight surgeries in the area, including Channel View Surgery, The Den Site, Bishopsteignton Surgery, Chudleigh Health Centre, Glendevon Medical Centre, Riverside Surgery, Barton Surgery, and The Warren Surgery.

She said: "The term 'social prescribing' has been around for years. Over the past few years, the NHS have taken the role under their wing, and it's all part of their new person-centred plan going forward. Now, every GP surgery across the country should have at least one social prescriber."

What might you prescribe?

Rebecca said: "We work closely with the charity sector and community groups.

"A lot of our referrals at the moment are mental health-related, so for people who are feeling particularly anxious, or very low in mood, we look at seeing what there is in the community that might be able to help them.

"In Dawlish, we recently helped to set up an anxiety cafe called 'Thinkers', run by Roots Community Enhancement Group, at the Riverside Centre on a Friday.

"Given our location within the coastal towns, the population tends to be a bit higher in age, and we get a lot of isolation; I know Assist Teignbridge in Dawlish run a really good befriending scheme.

"We also work very closely with GPs, and as much as I would encourage patients to look at alternatives that can really help them, sometimes it's not possible without medication. Particularly with mental health, I find sometimes medication can just give people enough 'lift' for them to start engaging with all of the other things that can help them."

How can I get an appointment/ be referred to a social prescriber?

Rebecca said: "People can refer themselves, they can just pop to the surgery and say they want an appointment with a social prescriber, or the doctor may suggest it to them when they're having a consultation, or any staff member can make a referral.

"We really wanted to start pushing the message out there that we exist so more patients feel that they can self-refer into the scheme.

"I would say to anyone who is thinking about it, just come and book yourself in for an appointment anyway, and you don't lose anything.

"It's completely free, an NHS service."

Click here to find out more about social prescribing on the NHS website.

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