Frome Health Connections Team marks National Social Prescribing Day 

The Frome Medical Practice Health Connections Team is marking National Social Prescribing Day on 9th March by highlighting the valuable work they do across the local community. 

Health Connections Frome Area Manager Julie Carey-Downes said, "We all understand what a prescription is when it's given to us for medication, but sometimes people aren't sure what is meant by social prescribing. Many things that affect our health, like isolation, loneliness or stress brought on by the impact of financial pressures or poor housing, can't be treated by doctors or medicine alone. Social prescribing can connect people to non-medical activities, groups and support that can address the needs that are impacting on their health and help them to live the best lives they can." 

The Health Connections Frome is part of the team at Frome Medical Practice, which means it's really simple for GPs and other health care staff at the practice to connect people to non-medical support that can help them. The team is also strongly connected to organisations and groups in the wider community, meaning they can link people to all sorts of help that they could benefit from. In Frome, the social prescribing team are known as 'health connectors'.

Julie added, "Health Connectors listen to people and try to understand their situation and what matters to them. As well as seeing people one to one in the GP practice, consultations also take place over the phone or by visiting people in their own homes, linking people to organisations and information that may be able to help them."

The Health Connections Frome team offer other services alongside 1-1s. A Talking Cafe is held every Monday from 10am - 11.30am in the Cheese and Grain in the Market Yard in Frome and at Coffee#1 in the Westway Precinct on a Thursday from 1pm - 2.30pm. There's also a Talking Bench held on a Wednesday from 10.30am - 11.00am outside Frome Library. Anyone is welcome to drop into at these venues and have a chat with the team. 

People can be referred to the Health Connections Team by other staff at the practice or by external organisations but people can also get in touch with the team themselves if they need support. The Health Connections Team in Frome can be contacted by calling 01373 468368 or emailing [email protected]