Social Prescribing Self-Referral – How does it work?

At Access Elemental Social Prescribing we want to make managing social prescribing referrals easier to save Social Prescribing Link Workers time, so they can spend more time helping individuals rather than on admin. 

In this article we will review what a social prescribing self-referral is, its benefits and why they are important, as well as reviewing what a social prescribing self-referral journey may look like and how they can be improved by acknowledging what disadvantages there could be and how to overcome them.  

After reading this article you should have a much better idea of what self-referrals are and how best you might want to incorporate them to be a part of your social prescribing journeys.  

Arguably, a social prescribing referral is the start of all social prescribing journeys. Whether someone refers themselves, or they get referred by a GP, Nurse, Housing Support Officer, or a teacher, the referral is typically the first step.  

A social prescribing referral ultimately allows a range of professionals to refer people to a range of local non-clinical services. The referrals recognise that health can be determined by a range of wider social determinants of health whether they are social, economic, or environmental.  

The social prescribing referral will then be picked up by a Social Prescribing Link Worker where they will work with the individual holistically to improve their quality of life and refer them to services and interventions that matter to them.
  

What is a social prescribing self-referral? 

Social prescribing self-referrals can differ from generic ones. Self-referrals allow one or even two steps to be skipped within a social prescribing journey. Here individuals can get in touch with Link Workers straight away or find a social prescribing service that best meets their needs through a directory of services. 

Social prescribing self-referrals therefore offer a way individuals can proactively find the help they need to improve their physical and mental health for a better quality of life.  

Many services will offer self-referral. Often self-referrals will take place on an online platform to allow individuals to fill in their details including their reasons for referral. The referral will then be sent to a digital social prescribing platform, where a link worker will pick up the case and start working with the individual to co-produce their journey.  

Alternatively, an individual can fill in details on an online platform and search through a directory of services to find the service that will best suit their needs. This information would still be sent to an online social prescribing platform so their journey and wellbeing scores can be monitored. This allows individuals to be even more proactive in managing their own health and wellbeing.  

Through self-referrals we skip the need to see a GP or another professional who would make the referral to a Link Worker. Additionally it can also skip an additional step of working with a Link Worker to start their social prescribing journey as using a directory of services allows individuals to see first-hand what is available to them and what will best suit their needs.   

Self-referrals allow individuals to seek more non-clinical ways to improve their mental health and wellbeing, to overcome the health inequalities and wider social determinants they may be suffering with.  

Our video explains the 7 steps we follow when we receive a self-referral: 

1. Referral  

The referral is made and sent to the social prescribing platform. 

2. Assessment Arranged  

Link Workers will arrange to meet the individual. 

3. Baseline Metrics  

At the first meeting the Link Worker will take wellbeing scores and explain to the individual what they mean. 

4. Social Prescription  

Here both the individual and the Link Worker will co-produce their social prescription and send referrals to the community providers. 

5. Further Visits 

Here Link Workers will get in touch with the individual and retake wellbeing scores to see the development in their journey. At this point additional support can also be provided if it is needed. 

6. Health risk reduced  

This is where the individual starts to see the difference and the impact social prescribing is making on them.  

7. Outcomes  

At the end of journey, individuals will end up being connected and engaged with their community once more. 
 

Social Prescribing Self-Referrals – The Pros and Cons 

When introducing a self-referral service to your social prescribing service it’s important to be aware of both the advantages and disadvantages that can occur.  

The table below summarises some of the key advantages and disadvantages you should be aware of.  

Overall self-referrals in social prescribing can be hugely successful. What is important to remember is that every social prescribing journey and every self-referral will be different. For self-referral services to be successful therefore it is important for every social prescribing service to measure and record outcomes the same way for every referral that comes through. It is essential that even if an individual is being more self-serving through using a directory, social prescribing services should ensure that Link Workers still check in and see if any more support is needed.  

Through being aware of the potential disadvantages of self-referrals services you can prepare better for the support your Link Workers will deliver to mitigate any downsides and continuously improve outcomes across the community and reduce pressures on primary care professionals and services.

Social prescribing self-referrals can work well for most individuals. What is important for self-referrals to be successful is for individuals to know and understand what social prescribing is. Without individuals understanding what it is and what they can get out of it the number of self-referrals will be significantly less.  

In general however, individuals that have a good digital literacy will find the self-referral process a lot easier than those that don’t. In a matter of a few clicks a referral can be sent through the system. However for individuals who have limited experience with technology this could be a lot more challenging.  

In order for self-referrals to be the most beneficial for all, having alternative methods for individuals to make self-referrals is also advised. Some social prescribing services have found self-referrals being taken over the phone equally successful. Here individuals can call up social prescribing services and their self-referral form can be filled in over the phone.  

By offering this as an alternative method self-referrals can work for majority of individuals as they would answer questions over the phone like they would if they were booking a doctors appointment. 

At Access Elemental Social Prescribing our social prescribing software helps streamline all types of referrals including self-referrals.  

We understand that the enabling the best user experience is crucial to keep individuals engaged and motivated within their social prescribing journey. We want to make sure managing referrals is easy and that information can be found all in one place, to save Link Workers, GPs, and end-users themselves time.  

More and more of our customers have started their own self-referral social prescribing services through working with us and we have seen some amazing benefits.  

Lorn and Oban Healthy Options, have been thrilled with how we have helped them set up their self-referral programme THRIVE. THRIVE is a programme they have set up consisting of a number of activities and social-events accessed via self-referrals. Through the programme individuals were able to meet people in similar situations to them to belong to a community of like-minded people. 

There are a variety of ways patients can join the THRIVE service and 20% of the referrals can from themselves on their own. Journal mHealth has explained that through Healthy Options working with us at Access Elemental to produce THRIVE it has been a game changer for social prescribing in Scotland, especially in rural areas where access to GP resources are limited. The successes of Thrive were massively accredited and were highlighted in the Digifest Conference 2022. 

This article has summarized what both a social prescribing referral is and what a social prescribing self-referral is, how self-referrals work in social prescribing, as well as the advantages and disadvantages of social prescribing self-referrals. 

At Access Elemental Social Prescribing we work collaboratively with all of our customers to help them get the best social prescribing outcomes in their local area. Our bespoke social prescribing software allows us to adapt our platform to your local community’s needs so everyone can experience the best social prescribing journey possible.  

For information on how best to implement social prescribing including self-referral services download our social prescribing guide today.  

Contact us and let’s get making accessing social prescribing even easier than ever before.