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Has anyone tried the NHS Social Prescribing and if so how did it go?

Fibonacci Squid

I am in the middle of the diagnostic process. After my first appointment they put me forward for the full length evaluation but also sent me an email inviiting me to use a 'Social Prescribing' service. I am now having issues with work and associated mental health and I decided to get into contact. I've been put in contact with the autism specialist 'link worker' and was wondering if anyone else had been sent to this service and if so what it involved. 

As far as I can tell it appears to be a service to improve wellbeing of people whose issues are not necessarily purely clinical in nature. So support in the issues that you're facing in order to improve overall wellbeing. 

Has anyone experienced this?

Was it helpful? Is there anything you think I should be aware of before talking with my link worker? 

  • So for those who are watching this for help here is my experience of the first call. I do want to prequel this by saying that all areas appear to be really different in what they do around social prescribing, so this is my experience of the BANES / Bristol based one with the link worker who's designated to deal with people who are between triage and full assessment. He also made it clear that everyone's experiences are different because it's designed to look at your needs and peoples needs are different and that BASS (my local adult autism organisation) had nothing to do with it really beyond the initial referral.

    I'm going to be honest, in the 5 years I've been engaging with mental health help/services, that was the single most productive and hope inspiring call I've had.

    It wasn't just a: here are some organisations go contact them/ here are some pdfs to read, which I've had a lot of and find unhelpful as it usually takes me several months to plan/build up willpower to contact help myself

    He actively referred me, while talking through the forms with me so I was in control of what was happening. He knew a lot of options that I had never been made aware of, it's very hard to give an answer to 'what do you want us to do' when you don't know the options and he gave and explained a lot of options.

    He also made it clear that he wouldn't just refer and disappear, that we'd continue to talk and look at the issues I was facing and further explore options that I may have. This was another important thing, there is a lot of: 'we have six sessions to solve this' in the mental health sessions I have accessed which I find incredibly unhelpful. It just leaves you feeling like a failure if you aren't progressing at what you feel/they feel you should by the end of the sessions.

    He was also understanding around issues I had with talking on the phone, and checked in that I'd be able to recharge safely afterwards. My verbal eloquence, particularly when stressed (which I was, especially at the start) isn't the best but he listened to me ramble and then explained back what he'd understood so I could check I was getting my point across which was very important to me as miscommunications have caused issues in the past when seeking help.

    Overall, an incredibly positive conversation, certainly a lot better than my admittedly low expectations. I hope outcomes continue to be as productive.

    For others exploring the service, I recommend giving it a go, and hope your experience is as positive as mine. The thing I would recommend is give as much background information as possible in the initial forms they send. It saves on verbal explanation which I know I really struggle with and it means they can ask clarifying questions rather than you having to start from scratch. 

  • I asked my husband who is a senior NHS nurse about this.  He seemed to think that their job was to prescribe things of social benefit; like walks or art clubs.  With that, I can't see how that is supposed to help me with my issues accessing medical care, which is why Mind autism Services thought I ought be referred....unless there is some other string to their bow.  We'll see I guess.

  • Hi, this seems to be another facility that is a postcode lottery and also a pretty vague service definition.
    I was passed on to a Social Prescriber by my GP after I had a private diagnosis.
    I haven't yet met anyone who could be described as a autism specialist 'link worker'.

    The Social Prescriber that I spoke to asked questions about my interests and needs but didn't know anything at all about Autism. They suggested a couple of community groups for people that had mental health difficulties. For me personally, it wasn't what I was wanting to hear, it was a bit like:
    Physically disabled? read them list A... Mentally disabled? read them list B. (But do it in a really sympathetic voice... ;)  )


    I would still say that it might be worth talking with them but it's probably best to have a clear idea about what you want first.

  • Ah! Can't answer your question, I'm afraid, but I'll be watching the replies to this one.  Mind Adult Autism Services just suggested I ask my GP for a referral to them.  Not entirely sure what they can do for me yet, but I await with bated breath.

    Thanks for posting as it's of massive interest to me too.