Social Prescribing Scheme
Entering the scheme gives you access to art therapy, guided exercise classes, hydrotherapy sessions, allotment access, walking groups, guided meditations and other social events free-of-charge.
The scheme is free to participants with the only stipulation being that you allow us to collect anonymous data on whether your healthcare use, such as prescriptions, medications, and clinical appointments have reduced in the year of the scheme compared to the period before. This will let us show that a social prescribing scheme can be cost saving for the NHS.
GP Referrals
Patients from the Culbin and Varis Practices at Forres Health and Care Centre and patients from Maryhill Practice in Elgin can be referred to the scheme by their GP. The GP Practices will collect anonymous data on whether your healthcare use, such as prescriptions, medications, and clinical appointments have reduced in the year of the scheme compared to the period before. This will let us show that a social prescribing scheme can be cost saving for the NHS.
The self-management activities are also open to members of Affa Sair as well as those referred by GPs. These participants are not compelled to give anonymous data but will be given the chance to tell how their lives have changed by taking part.
We have been successful in obtaining funding from the Scottish Government and the Health and Social Care Alliance in Scotland to run the first chronic pain-specific social prescribing scheme in Scotland. We are working with the quality improvement and assurance team (QIAT) at NHS Grampian to run a service evaluation allowing them to objectively assess how impactful social prescribing is in chronic pain patients.
This self management scheme has been created to give you the freedom to try non-pharmaceutical methods of managing your chronic pain without any charges and for us to measure how chronic pain interferes with and affects your quality of life.