Social prescribers
Social prescribing is an approach that connects people to activities, groups, and services in their community to meet the practical, social, and emotional needs that affect their health and wellbeing.
Social prescribing link workers are based in GP surgeries. They can help people by focusing on ‘what matters to me’ and support people to take control of their lives.
Social prescribing is an all-age, whole population approach that works well for people who:
- Have more than one health condition
- Need support with low-level mental health issues
- Are lonely and isolated
- Have complex social needs which affect their wellbeing.
Patients can speak to their GP about being put in touch with the social prescriber attached to their practice if they want more information on the available help and support in their area.
Reasonable adjustments
Reasonable adjustments are a legal requirement and outlined in the Equality Act, 2010. This ensures that reasonable adjustments are made in the workplace and to enable people to access services, including health and social care.
This will include people with physical, sensory and learning disability or a long-term condition such as dementia. This also includes anyone who has a cancer or had a cancer diagnosis.
The NHS must make it easy for people with disabilities to use health services. Examples of reasonable adjustments include:
- Making sure that there is wheelchair access
- Providing appointment letters/information in an easy read format, larger fonts or on coloured paper
- Having longer appointments, allowing someone more time with a doctor or nurse, to make sure that they understand the information they are given
- If required, making sure that a patient always has a family member or carer with them
All staff have a role to play in ensuring that reasonable adjustments are identified, documented and provided. It is important to listen to people, families and carers about what reasonable adjustments they need, this is not only in a health care setting, but this can also be in the workplace.
For more information about reasonable adjustments in the workplace, see Reasonable adjustments in the workplace for people with cancer | Macmillan Cancer Support
The North East & Cumbria Learning Disability Network is leading and supporting some work on reasonable adjustments across the North East & Cumbria region. This includes the roll-out of the Reasonable Adjustments Digital Flag and Prevention of Adult Not Brought Strategies. More information is available here.
The network has developed the Reasonable Adjustment Campaign and developed a range of posters to support healthcare services across the North East & Cumbria, to raise awareness of reasonable adjustments and how they should be documented.
These resources and more information can be found here.
Macmillan Deaf Cancer Support Project
The Macmillan Deaf Cancer Support Project provides virtual emotional and practical support to Deaf people living with cancer across the UK. It also supports their carers, including Deaf people who are supporting a hearing person living with cancer.
Visit Macmillan Deaf Cancer Support Project | Macmillan Cancer Support