Proactive and preventative models in health care – Patient Voices
Introduction
The Patient Voices for Social Prescribing Programme was a new, pilot programme for people with lived experience of SP to learn how to share their story in a compelling way. It aimed to:
- Support participants to gain skills in storytelling, communication, presentation and advocacy, whilst building their confidence to share their experiences to help improve services
- Sessions included reflective practice, group work and opportunities to put what participants learnt into practice in a safe way, enabling them to demonstrate the value of SP to all parts of healthcare system, with powerful, personal, first-hand stories of why this work matters
Patients and service users of social prescribing (SP) are rarely given the opportunity to tell their story around the support they received, their unique experience and the impact. SP can have huge impacts on people’s lives, through providing access to support for wider issues or concerns impacting their health and wellbeing, that isn’t available through traditional healthcare.
Key impacts and achievements
The programme has achieved the following impacts:
- Greater awareness and recognition of social prescribing – Social prescribing is now more widely understood and valued across the system
- Stronger patient and lived experience voice – 7 people with lived experience were able to tell their story about how social prescribing had impacted their lives. They are now able to play a more active role in championing social prescribing and shaping service design
- Improved insights into patient experiences – London now has a deeper understanding of social prescribing users’ experiences, helping to inform future direction
- Enhanced advocacy and access – Increased promotion of social prescribing in marginalised communities across Barnet, Lambeth, Redbridge, Westminster and Wandsworth, which may improve service uptake, reducing health inequalities across London
- Impact on participants’ wellbeing and interests – Participants reported gaining confidence, inspiration, knowledge and skills. They felt more motivated to explore opportunities to share their experiences and help shape services. They would recommend the programme to others if we were to do another. Read more about the impacts, evaluation and find quotes from participants in the report.
Why was this work important?
Patients using social prescribing rarely get to share their experiences or the impact of the support they receive. Social prescribing can significantly improve lives by addressing wider health and wellbeing concerns that traditional healthcare doesn’t cover.
Lived experiences offer valuable insights—both positive, highlighting the benefits of personalised, holistic care, and negative, revealing areas for improvement to better meet individual, cultural, and social needs.
Though introduced into NHS primary care in 2019, social prescribing existed in local authorities and community organisations before that. However, services in London vary in how well they engage and involve patients. There is a clear need for greater patient advocacy and lived experience roles to influence service design at both local and system levels.
Demonstrating impact is crucial for securing funding and improving services, yet patient voices – powerful in advocating for change – are often missing from the conversation.
It is imperative that we continue to build the evidence base and showcase the impact of SP, on healthcare services and the system, but crucially on the patients themselves. Patient engagement and coproduction is essential to harness lived experience voices when influencing decision making and shaping how services are delivered in the future.
Partnerships, networks and funding
The programme was funded by NHS England to create more opportunities to learn from social prescribing lived experience at service and system level. And to engage hard to reach communities in advocating or influencing roles to help improve services, shape policy or decision making.
The Patient Voices for Social Prescribing pilot programme was coproduced with various groups including NHS and Mental Health Peer Leaders, Lived Experience Practitioners, Hospital Trust Patient Voices groups, Social Prescribing Managers and Link Workers across London. Read the report here for more detail.
Participants have actively contributed to shaping healthcare services by sharing their experiences in ICB level social prescribing service reviews, where their insights influenced decision-making. They have also presented their stories at regional events, such as London’s Health Equity Group meeting.
Main projects and outputs
A core output of the programme was the creation of two participant-led videos, where individuals shared their personal journeys and reflected on the impact of the patient voices programme. These videos highlight the importance of patient involvement and encourage wider engagement in similar initiatives.The videos were filmed and produced over the summer and were launched in August 2024.
Through developing skills in storytelling, communication and confidence-building, the programme:
- Empowered and amplified patient voices in social prescribing, providing a platform to have their voices heard.
- Supported people with lived experience of social prescribing, identifying opportunities to share experiences. and advocate for the impact of social prescribing.
- Demonstrated the extensive impacts of social prescribing across a range of health & social care settings.
- Enabled patients to be involved in service design, to help improve services, leading to better outcomes, access and experience.
Programme delivery:
- Hear my story – Four storytelling training sessions led by Debs Teale, an independent consultant and facilitator using her lived experience to influence and inspire change. Read more about Debs.
- A kick-off session – To meet peers on the programme, learn more about social prescribing in London and what to expect from the programme.
- Opportunity to develop and share Your Story – Case studies are people’s stories, which can be told in such a way to educate, learn, improve and promote social prescribing. We are working with participants to help share their story, in the form of a written or video, case study, which will make up a library of Patient Voices for Social Prescribing.
- Exposure to further lived experience roles/opportunities – We are working with and supporting participants to explore different roles or opportunities, using their experience to share and promote the benefits of social prescribing. As well as shaping or improving social prescribing services.
To find more about what was involved in the programme, watch this Patient Voices for Social Prescribing video (4 mins) which was shared in advance of the programme. To hear more about participants’ experience of the programme, you can watch this Patient Voices video (2 mins).
What have been the common challenges?
- Limited representation – Engaging a diverse range of patient voices, particularly from marginalised communities, remains a challenge.
- Barriers to participation – Language, digital exclusion and accessibility issues prevent some individuals from sharing their experiences.
- Engaging patients in the programme was challenging due to the lack of direct contact with patient groups, lack of clarity among patients about what was involved, and lack of time to encourage sign-ups.
- The programme would have benefited from more coproduction, specifically with the target group of people who had experienced SP across London. Opportunity to involve the 2023 cohort in coproduction if running another programme.
What have been the key enablers?
- The Patient Voices for Social Prescribing programme was a unique opportunity bridge the gap between healthcare services and communities, through creating opportunities for services users to develop skills and confidence in sharing their stories.
- The Programme highlighted the importance of lived experience in transformation work.
- Participants welcomed the opportunity to remain in contact via a peer support group and have been connected to their ICB.