As the National Academy for Social Prescribing (NASP) regional lead, the team here at VONNE are hosting a new series of regional activities for our ever-growing Thriving Communities Network from September.

From this issue, we'll be sharing news about our upcoming events. So, if you have colleagues or partners you think would be interested in learning more about social prescribing in the region and getting involved in our network activities, please do encourage them to sign up here, where you can also find information about all of our VONNE Health and Wellbeing networks.  

Our first event takes place on September 21st in collaboration with our regional partners, NHS England regional social prescribing leads and Health and Care Partnership Managers. We'll be exploring the regional social prescribing landscape and how we can build greater collaboration at health system and local level.   

We also spotlight Northern Heartlands, a charity based in County Durham which works with creative practitioners to deliver arts engagement and events, as well as social prescribing news and resources that we hope will interest you.

As our events approach, you can find us on Twitter @vonnehwb for Thriving Communities team news and information about other programmes we're involved in across the region. 

As always, if you’ve stories to share, questions about social prescribing in the region, or events and activities we’d love to hear from you. Email the team:
northeastyorkshire.thrivingcommunities@nasp.info

Photo L - R: The Social Prescribing team at VONNE 

Sarah Marrison, Social Prescribing Engagement Manager; Jane Hartley, NASP Thriving Communities Regional Lead; Sara Toal, Health and Wellbeing projects coordinator. 

Are you and your voluntary, community, faith or social enterprise (VCSFE) organisation looking to understand how the social prescribing system works in our region and develop your social prescribing offer? Do you want to connect more with health and care colleagues referring to social prescribing initiatives?

Join us to discover more about the social prescribing landscape and how it is developing from key NHS England regional social prescribing leads and Health and Care Partnership Managers.

There will the opportunity to join local Integrated Care System (ICS) discussion groups to find out more about your local social prescribing network and explore the potential for greater cross-sector collaboration.

The webinar will take place online via Zoom on Wednesday, September 21st, 1.30pm - 3pm.

If you’re keen to develop your understanding of social prescribing, gain insight from system leads across our region, and make connections, please register to join us.

To keep up with all of the latest news and comment about the Thriving Communities programme, follow us on twitter! We will also be posting throughout our upcoming events on this page, so remember to tag us @vonnehwb. 

Northern Heartlands is a charity based in County Durham. Working with people living in rural area of Teesdale, Weardale and post-industrial towns and villages of the former Durham Coalfield, the charity works with artists and creative practitioners to deliver arts engagement and events to change how people feel about what happens in their places.

Between May 2021 and June 2022, Northern Heartlands ran a social prescribing project called ‘NOW’. Funded by NASP and Arts Council England, the programme of activities helped to support those living with mental health issues such as depression and anxiety, and those who identified as being lonely. They partnered with Jack Drum Arts, TCR The Hub and UTASS (Upper Teesdale Agricultural Support Services). The partners delivered over 130 activity sessions including canoeing, nature walks, dancing and much more!

Northern Heartlands have now released their final evaluation report for the project, which outlines the successful delivery, reach, engagement, and outcomes of the project and the activities which took place. It also highlights the success of the networks which have come about from the NOW project, including its success with Social Prescribing Link Workers and the delivery organisations.

"As a result of this program we now have a cracking relationship with our link worker, which is a fantastic outcome for us already" (UTASS, Sept 2021)48

 “In terms of relationships with [community organisations], I don’t think we’d be where we are now if it weren’t for the project” (SPLW, June 2022)49

To find out more about the project, read the full report here.

Photo credit: Jack Drum Arts.

The government has announced that social prescriptions, including walking, wheeling and cycling, will be offered by GPs as part of a new trial to improve mental and physical health and reduce disparities across the country.

£12.7 million of multi-year funding has been awarded to 11 local authority areas in England which includes Cumbria, Gateshead, Leeds and Bradford for the North East and Yorkshire region. The funding will go towards several pilot projects in each location, including:

• Adult cycle training
• Free bike loans
• Walking groups
• Other schemes include all-ability cycling taster days where people who may not have cycled before can try to in a friendly environment, or walking and cycling mental health groups where people can connect with their communities as they get active.

The pilots must be delivered alongside improved infrastructure so people feel safe to cycle and walk.

A social prescribing link work initiative to support the mental health and wellbeing of new mothers has been launched in the North East and North Cumbria.

Link Worker support to the new Maternal Mental Health Services has been launched by Blue Stone Collaborative (BSC) and voluntary, community, and social enterprise (VCSE) sector partners - with funding from the North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care System. 

The NHS Long Term Plan includes an aim to improve access to maternal mental health services in local areas which help deliver meaningful outcomes and benefits for families from before a baby is born through to their second birthday. An innovative programme led by BSC is running alongside the introduction of these NHS Maternal Mental Health Services (MMHS), helping to support maternity care connectivity to local community assets through social prescribing link work.

The new NHS maternal mental health services support moderate to severe needs arising from the maternity experience from trauma, loss and fear. The VCSE prototypes provide support for mums outside that threshold with mild to moderate need, strengthening links between NHS and VCSE services, identifying service gaps and highlighting opportunities for integrating and growing VCSE provision such as peer support.

The four prototypes are running in Sunderland, South Tees/Middlesbrough, North Cumbria and Northumberland. These place-based projects are designed to respond to local needs. 

A key feature of the project is bringing the link workers from each of the four areas together as a learning community, exploring what good support looks like for families, identifying gaps and theming learning for dissemination. 

For more information please contact Ang Broadbridge, VCSE MMHS Project Manager at Blue Stone Collaborative ang@bluestone.org.uk or @angbroadbridge on twitter. 

Photo credit: Alla Stoica and Together We CiC 

NIHR has recently released research which shows that people who are unemployed or who live in insecure housing (staying with friends, in hostels, or homeless) respond less well to treatment for depression than others.

The findings imply that interventions to help people find employment or stable housing could improve their recovery from depression. Healthcare professionals could assess people’s social circumstances before starting their treatment for depression, the researchers suggest. This information could inform how someone’s depression is managed and treated.

Closing date for the fund is Thursday, 15th September 2022 at 4pm.

The VCSE Cost of Living Crisis Fund aims to help charities, community organisations and community interest companies that are struggling with the increasing cost of delivering services due to the cost-of-living crisis.

The fund will award grants of between £2,000 to £4,000, which can be used towards an organisations' increased running costs for the next year.

Charities, constituted community organisations, or community interest companies limited by guarantee; with an annual income of up to £600,000 can apply to this fund.

Organisations need to be based in Newcastle or Gateshead and should be improving the health and wellbeing of local people in Newcastle and / or Gateshead.

The NHS Youth Forum have released reports and resources which encompass their drive to address the issues young people face in healthcare. These reports and resources focus on digital mental health services, healthcare inequalities, widening access and the experiences of young people throughout the UK. Additionally, each report suggests recommendations that the NHS could make and, as a result, has led to encouraging conversations with Amanda Pritchard (Chief Executive of NHS England).

VONNE, as the North East regional VCSE infrastructure support organisation, is proud to be the regional lead for the National Academy for Social Prescribing (NASP) Thriving Communities programme in the North East and Yorkshire. VONNE is delivering the programme alongside regional VCSE infrastructure partners across Yorkshire and Humber, and North Cumbria.