People with severe mental illnesses (including bipolar disorder, psychosis, schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder) have poorer health outcomes, and they die up to 20 years earlier than the general population. The reasons for this are complex and include lower socioeconomic status, social isolation and loneliness, as well as sub optimal management of physical health by healthcare services. Alternative models of disease prevention are therefore required.
Social prescribing offers a holistic approach to health by linking patients in primary care to community groups and social activities. It has been found to improve the health and wellbeing of vulnerable groups, though there is limited evidence on whether social prescribing in its current form is reaching people with severe mental illnesses and whether it is effective. For many reasons, it is likely that people with these diagnoses are currently disadvantaged in their access to social prescribing, potentially widening existing health and social inequalities for this group.
In this project, we will explore three questions:
1. Is social prescribing reaching people with severe mental illnesses (SMI) and, if so, how? Using primary care medical record data from a database called CPRD we will identify (i) the proportion of referrals being made, (ii) their socio-demographic characteristics, and (iii) whether social prescribing referrals among people with SMI are similar to other groups at risk of CVD.
2. What are the barriers and facilitators for social prescribing among people with SMI? We are conducting qualitative interviews to understand the barriers and facilitators to social prescribing among people with SMI. Further information is provided below for each participant group. We would like to speak to:
If you would like to take part in an interview, please see this page for more information. You can also contact Alex Burton at a.burton@ucl.ac.uk.
3. Can adaptations to social prescribing pathways increase access, and improve cardiovascular health? We will use the evidence above to make recommendations for adapting social prescribing pathways and test whether these adaptations are feasible, acceptable and effective.
Overall, our goal is that we have data to show what impact social prescribing has for people with severe mental illnesses and how these effects occur, and clear, efficient referral routes so that people do not face any disadvantage in accessing the scheme.