We're thrilled to be joining Sunderland Culture in an innovative new partnership.
Together with Sunderland Carers Centre, Groundwork North East & Cumbria and Sunderland GP Alliance, we'll be supporting people to recover from the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic through the power of social prescribing.
The Sunderland Social Prescribing Partnership has been made possible thanks to funding of £50,000 from Thriving Communities.
Our chief executive Douglas Hunter said: “This ambitious partnership will support carers and people living with dementia to access imaginative and meaningful socially-prescribed activities. We’re thrilled to be able to bring our artist-led workshops to those living in Sunderland, together helping improve wellbeing and health through creativity.”
Together the partnership will help to improve and increase the range and reach of social prescribing activities on Wearside. Over the next 12 months it will:
- Create an inspiring range of high-quality creative social prescribing activities for carers and their families in Sunderland;
- Use the Carers Referral Pathway to test the partnership approach to reach more people;
- Engage 600 people from Sunderland with activities;
- Create opportunities for collaborative working, information sharing and training.
Rebecca Ball, Creative Director of Sunderland Culture, explained: “The project will increase social connectedness and help Sunderland communities cope with the impact of Covid as part of a national initiative to embed social prescribing in communities and healthcare.”
The partners will explore and test how people living in Sunderland can be helped to engage with a broader range of community activities to support their health and wellbeing.
The programme of social prescribing activities will include:
- Doorstep Delivery: offering creative activities for people to take part in on their doorstep;
- Parent Carer Offer: a targeted offer responding to consultation with carers and families;
- Men’s Shed: a six-month activity programme aimed at reducing social isolation and promoting men’s health and wellbeing;
- Young Carers Group: a ten-month programme to provide opportunities for young carers to take part in new activities;
- Creative Age: Artist-led sessions for people living with dementia and their carers, with new groups for pre-diagnosis and carers or former carers;
- Outdoor volunteering: taster sessions to take part in basic outdoor tasks at Elba Park;
- Singing for Lung Health: a singing programme for people with COPD and families.
Rebecca Ball added: “This critical support, at a crucial moment, will enable us to respond to the impact of Covid 19 pandemic on the lives of carers, support our city’s recovery and develop a partnership that can drive forward vital initiatives for the wellbeing of our communities in Sunderland.”
Social prescribing enables health care professionals to refer people to a range of local, non-clinical services to support their physical and mental health and wellbeing.
