In this spotlight we delve into the extensive social prescribing work Teesside Mind undertakes, working in direct partnership with Primary Care. They explain how, as a local charity, they are a vital link and well-placed to provide highly effective support to the people in their communities, identify need and connecting people requiring support to a wide range of community services and groups that accept social prescribing referrals – as well as hosting a team of Link Workers and supporting them in delivery of their work and professional development.
In October in a large bright space at Teesside Mind’s Middlesbrough offices, twenty seven social prescribing link workers got together for a development workshop. The team are all employed by the local mental health charity and they work across twenty-one GP practices, comprising four primary care networks, in and around Teesside. The room was filled with chat as the team spoke passionately to each other about their work and the impact of social prescribing in their areas. The staff are from mixed backgrounds - emergency services, health, education and mental health support - and they are all clearly focussed and genuinely committed to making a difference in the community.
This development workshop explored the external landscape of connector services, giving a chance to reflect on the previous year and plan for the year ahead, as well as an opportunity for a team building exercise. It’s days like this, when the whole team gets together, that you can really see the benefits of hosting link workers within VCSE organisations. Link worker staff hosted by Teesside Mind receive excellent support in the form of formal supervision and more informal peer support sessions, a wide range of relevant training opportunities and the chance for career progression and it’s no surprise that staff turnover is low. Also, staff are supported in their roles by the infrastructure the charity provides – safeguarding, management, HR and a marketing team. A member of staff responded to their recent anonymous survey:
“Training opportunities increase confidence in your role and support you to improve practice. There are always training opportunities in Teesside Mind and there is an encouraging culture to ask for training to be provided if you need more knowledge and understanding in a particular area.”
Teesside Mind has a long history of delivering the kind of support that link workers provide which has given them a great foundation for their partnership work with the Primary Care Networks (PCNs), who fund the link worker roles, and to deliver social prescribing support on their behalf. In the year 2023-2024 Teesside Mind’s link workers took 3,067 referrals and held over 17,700 appointments. Of those referrals, 60 percent of people successfully completed their planned support and 75 percent of people reported an improvement in their wellbeing. Clearly there’s a high level of need in the area due to the many overlapping social factors that residents experience. Senior Social Prescribing Link Worker in the Greater Middlesbrough PCN, Michelle Affleck, explained one of the initiatives, drawing on the team’s mental health expertise, that has been particularly successful:
“Last year we started a complex mental health pathway, and we accept referrals where people have got three or more issues going on in their life, such as homelessness, finances, a mental health condition or long term health conditions. This allows us to offer flexible mental health support to people who may experience barriers to accessing support. Our workers deliver low level mental health support and intervention while also being able to link people up with the different services to meet their needs and support them at appointments.”
Lucy Cushley, Teesside Mind’s Social Prescribing Service Manager explained more about the position that the charity is in and how this helps them provide highly effective support to those who are referred by the GP practices to the social prescribing service. As a local VSCE organisation they are well connected with the community and have strong links throughout the VCSE sector which means they are well placed to connect people to a wide range of community services and groups. They also have a nuanced understanding of the barriers people face to accessing support. Lucy says:
“I’m passionate about social prescribing being delivered by VCSE organisations, being part of the VCSE enables our team to deliver person centred non-clinical support that complements the support of medical professionals. Teesside Mind has strong links with the voluntary sector and local community and that in turn is passed on to the staff, they are well connected. We do a lot of partnership work within the local community and the staff have the opportunity to be part of that.”
VONNE has enabled investment, as part of our Healthy Communities and Social Prescribing Infrastructure Investment Programme, into Teesside Mind to support the development of its social prescribing offer. This programme is funded by the North East and North Cumbria ICB as part of their Healthier and Fairer workstream. The funding has given Teesside Mind the chance to do more strategic local work, develop links with other VCSE organisations and to become more externally facing.
You can find out more about Teesside Mind’s work here.
If you would like to know more about VONNE’s Healthy Communities and Social Prescribing programme you can access the webpage here and join the Healthy Communities and Social Prescribing Network to receive regular news and information.