19 March 2025 is Social Prescribing Day

Social Prescribing is helping people live their best lives and can play a crucial role in improving health and wellbeing.  Social Prescribing often begins with a referral from a GP, hospital or VCFSE organisation or can be a self-referral to a Social Prescriber Link Worker.

Link Workers listen to people to understand their situation and what matters to them, to develop a personalised plan to support the individual to identify and reach their goals, linking them to local VCFSE, community organisations and where applicable statutory services for support and information.

To celebrate Social Prescribing Day, we’re highlighting some of the great social prescribing initiatives that have helping people to improve their health and wellbeing.

Compassionate garden group has a unique approach to supporting the pre-bereaved – further info below

The Connect for health social prescribing team in Ipswich and East Suffolk have supported the setting up of a compassionate garden group in Woodbridge. The group, which meets monthly and is run by St Elizabeth Hospice and Home Instead, support people in pre-bereavement to undertake gardening projects at a local care home.

Nature-based from West Suffolk

In SNEE we provide a wide varied social prescribing offer. In west Suffolk Social Prescribers across the system; including Primary Care Networks, community and West Suffolk Hospital have been working with RSPB to develop west Suffolk specific Nature on Prescription calendars. Further info here

Tell Your Story Exhibition at Endeavour House 18 – 21 March

The New Wolsey Theatre’s Tell Your Story programme is a twelve-session creative wellbeing programme, supporting participants to develop their creativity in exploring their personal story. Led by professional artists in a safe, playful and supportive environment, participants have the chance to learn new and creative skills and express themselves in a group of like-minded people.

To coincide with Social Prescribing Day, and celebrate the end of the latest group, their incredible artwork will be on display at Endeavour House next week from Tuesday to Friday. Come and see some of the amazing artwork and read the personal stories of participants.

Tell Your Story is funded by the Ipswich and East Suffolk Alliance as part of the Health Inequalities programme for people with complex needs delivering a range of personalised care programmes in Ipswich and east Suffolk. To find out more, contact [email protected]

The exhibition will also have stories of people from across SNEE who have benefits from social prescribing and personalised care through a one-off Personal Health Budget to support their health and wellbeing needs.