Community Wellbeing Practices in Halton

Commissioned by Halton Clinical Commissioning Group, Wellbeing Enterprises CIC has developed and is delivering a unique health initiative – Community Wellbeing Practices – supporting 17 GP Practices in Halton to integrate with the wider community based provision. In October 2014, the Community Wellbeing Pracitces initiative was awarded the National Association of Primary Care ‘Best Practice Health and Wellbeing Innovation of the Year’ award.

The Community Wellbeing Practices initiative is supported by a team of dedicated Community Wellbeing Officers, who provide one to one sessions with patients who are guided through a structured intervention, called a Wellbeing Review, to identify social issues that may be causing or exacerbating physical health problems. Patients are supported to develop an individualised action plan to address personal challenges, unlock personal strengths and access wider sources of support in order to help patients improve their own health and wellbeing. Patients also have access to:

• A comprehensive social prescribing programme, which includes opportunities for patients to access hobby and interest groups, life skills courses, psych-education training and self-help groups
• Asset based community projects, working with individuals and clinicians to co-design and co-produce new and unique opportunities for social connectedness in the community e.g. Tango Dancing on Prescription, community garden makeovers and volunteering opportunities.
• Community wellbeing and resilience programmes such as ‘Ignite your Life!’, ‘WOW!’ and ‘Music and Memories’, provide opportunities to bring together targeted vulnerable and ‘at risk’ members of the community to work together with others in groups to learn skills and form new connections.

Referrals

Clinicians in Halton value having a complementary service that they can directly refer patients in to using their practice’s clinical software.

Sometimes medicine isn’t the answer, and having conversations with patients about accessing activity groups or trying new things has given me a greater depth to understanding my patients – it feels like you’re reaching out to the circumstances in their lives. The service is free and it has no barriers – it’s suitable for everyone; male or female, married or single, young or old, rich or poor.

GP at a Community Wellbeing Practice

Wellbeing Enterprises are also working in partnership with other providers in the borough to ensure patients leaving secondary care, for example from Hospital Discharge Teams and local Mental Health providers, receive health and wellbeing support to ensure that they are fully repatriated in to their community. Wellbeing Review clinics have been established with these providers to respond to the increasing demand for the service.

For those patients who are unable to attend an appointment or group in their GP Practice or local community, a home visit service is offered to patients to help identify local services and support available to them in their own home. 

Outcomes

Approximately 4,000 interventions are delivered each year through the Community Wellbeing Practices initiative, and validated health metrics are used in order to evidence demonstrable improvements in health and wellbeing. Outcomes data from the CWP initiative shows that:

• 67% of participants improved their subjective wellbeing levels after attending an intervention (shown via the chart below):
• 55% of participants reported a reduction in their depression symptoms after attending an intervention

The CWP model of change has also been reviewed, articulated and evaluated through an external evaluation report conducted by independent Public Health consultants.

Key contact details

For further information about the Community Wellbeing Practices initiative and the work of Wellbeing Enterprises CIC, please contact Mark Swift, Chief Executive Officer T: 01928 589 799, e: m.swift@wellbeingenterprises.org.uk

Wellbeing Enterprises CIC

Bridgewater House, Old Coach Road, Runcorn, WA7 1QT

t: 01928 589799 | f: 01928 551922 | e: info@wellbeingenterprises.org.uk

http://www.wellbeingenterprises.org.uk

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About Wellbeing Enterprises CIC

Wellbeing Enterprises is an award winning social enterprise – our mission is to support individuals and communities to achieve better health and wellbeing. We do this by educating the general public; unlocking the assets within our communities and working co-productively with our partners to tackle the underlying causes of poor health.