Unlocking the potential of social prescribing through the Thriving Communities Fund
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Over that time, not only have we've learned more about the nature of the virus itself, but we’ve built a much clearer understanding of how some communities are more vulnerable - not only at greater risk of contracting coronavirus, but more subject to its secondary impacts, including loneliness, mental ill health, housing instability, food insecurity, and loss of income.
Today is also #SocialPrescribingDay, and it’s clear that social prescribing can be a valuable means of support for communities in these circumstances. Looking beyond purely medical solutions, to develop interventions that can support resilience and recovery.
The Thriving Communities Fund
It is timely, in this context, that today we announce the 37 projects that will be supported through the Thriving Communities Fund, our innovative partnership programme with the National Academy for Social Prescribing (NASP) and other agencies including NHS England & NHS Improvement, Historic England, Natural England and Sport England.
Over the next 12 months, these projects will devise local activities and support for those communities most vulnerable to the impacts of Covid-19.
The Her Centre in Greenwich, South East London, for example, will work with those at risk of facing domestic violence, which has been further escalated by the pandemic. Third Sector Leaders will develop services for both the South Asian and white working-class communities of Batley and Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, which have been particularly hit by the pandemic.
Collectively, the 37 projects will seek to engage over 8,000 people in a range of activities, including visual arts, dance, music, libraries and museum-based work, as well as nature, physical activity, and providing support around issues like housing, debt and food insecurity.
Each project will reinforce the local partnerships that are key to a successful social prescribing offer, linking together and fostering long-term collaboration between healthcare; culture, sport, and nature-based organisations; and the wider voluntary and community sector.
The projects will also explore ways to make both the activities and their partnerships more sustainable, levering in funding from the NHS, local government and a wide range of other sources. It’s part of the wider Thriving Communities programme, which seeks to help local voluntary, community, faith, and social enterprise groups and organisations in England to support the communities most vulnerable to the impacts of COVID-19.
Working with the NHS and other Partners
Interest in the programme has been brilliant, and we received far more applications than we were able to support. In recognition of the quality of applications received, alongside NASP and the additional funding partners, Historic England and Natural England, we’ve been able to increase the programme budget from £1.4 million to £1.8 million. In addition to this, the projects themselves have confirmed over £670,000 cash match funding, and over £674,000 support-in-kind.
The input from our other partners, NHS England & NHS Improvement; the Office for Civil Society; Sport England; the Money and Pensions Service; and NHS Charities Together, has also been invaluable in shaping the programme, and offering the broadest range of expertise and insights in making funding decisions.
Additionally, we are all working to support applicants who were unsuccessful on this occasion. We are making sure applicants are aware of other routes to develop their local social prescribing offer – including through the Thriving Communities network, webinar series and learning development programme.
We will also be looking for an evaluation partner to help us learn from the 37 projects, in order to better understand how together we can share learning from the programme; and also support the expansion of social prescribing over the longer-term.
Want to find out more?
If you would like to learn more about social prescribing, please visit NASP’s Thriving Communities Programme pages, and the social prescribing pages of Arts Council England’s website.
You can also take a look at the full list of funding recipients.
