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I urge you to advise the receptionists in the GP to give medical reports on time to the patients needing to present them near the assessment centres, because this may be as a real obstacle to them that they may be referred to job seekers centre, while they are not really fit for work, and another matter that I wish to raise is that we are asked by the GP to pay for the medical report while we are not working, we are receiving benefit, so we would like if you could exempt patient people depending on benefit from paying for these medical reports, thank you for your understanding and cooperation in this matter.

There is a good system of Health Trainers in my borough and GPs can refer people for group activities to help them with their health and wellbeing, whether it's some kind of exercise, or even art or gardening for managing mental health. Activities are run by trained and qualified professionals and are very effective. One to one mentoring is also provided. I worked alongside this system as a 'self-care' advisor for a while, which was a university study pilot scheme. I could also advise patients who self referred or were referred by their GP on what they could try and referred some people to the Health Trainers in the centre. I have taken part in some of their activities, for which each area has a regular daily timetable, as I have my own problems and highly recommend the system. Activities were all funded (often by partner organisations) and either free or maybe £1 a session. I would not have been able to take part had they not been local and at minimum cost.

I too hadn't heard of this by name. Good idea because external issues do affect our health overall, but GPs haven't enough time as it is (10 minutes fly by) and appointments can be difficult to get.

Placing welfare advice services in GP practices (co-location) is one approach to supporting people whose health is affecting, or affected by problems linked to accessing welfare benefits, housing and debt. It is also hoped that such services will ease pressures on practices. For example, by supporting patients to fill out welfare benefit forms that might otherwise be brought to GPs.

CLAHRC North Thames evaluated the impact of co-located welfare advice services in two London boroughs. Through surveys and interviews with patients, medical professionals and advisers, we asked whether and how such services could support patients and GP practices. We compared changes in mental health, financial strain and help-seeking behaviours among people who had received such advice to people that had not. This meant we could be more certain that any improvements were due to the co-located advice.

Among patients receiving advice, we found improved mental health and well-being, and reduced financial strain. Females and people who identified as Black were the most likely to experience improved mental health after receiving advice. Overall, people receiving advice gained £15 per £1 of investment by those funding the service. This gain included welfare income that they were entitled to but missing out on previously, and reorganised debts. The actual gain may be higher as this estimate does not include things like avoiding court fines or housing reposessions.

Our interviews revealed the potential for co-located advice to reduce GP pressures. But, several factors affect whether or not this would happen, such as a lack of awareness of the service amongst GP staff. Regular reminders to practice staff and feedback from the service about how it supports patients, and more clarity about how advisers can support GP work may help.

I find my GP service very poor, they advertise late and early opening times, but it is very difficult to get an appointment for these times. They seem to take for ever to answer the phone, the left hand does not seem to know what the right hand is going. I asked for an appointment for a health check up, only to be told that only healthy people got check up's, so when attendinig for a 30 minute appointment on a Saturday morning the whole procedure that the rude nurse could be bothered with was to take my blood pressure. Apparentlyl I am not healthy as I take blood pressure medication.

On another occasion I attended the GP surgery for an 8am appointment, the nurse did not arrive until 8.15am and procedded to see another pactient.

Having complained on both occastions I recevied a letter which in both occasions accused me of lying and saying that both nurses could not have provided the level of service that I stated they provided. My GP surgery is North End Road Medical centre.

I have never heard of social prescribing, but it seems like a very good idea if for some reason patients are attending their GP surgery for social reasons, I for one have never done this.

I think loneliness, social isolation and mental health issues are big problems for many people who don't get, or are able to access, the help they need. This causes pressure of GP services. Social prescribing is a good idea but it needs to be in conjunction with real referrals and help for these people.

I avoid seeing my GP unless I have to as it is so difficult to get an appointment and it's so unpersonal when you get there. I have to go for contraception and my thyroid condition. I sometimes go for travel vaccines but often choose to get these done privately at Boots or a travel clinic.

I hadn't heard of it, but I think it's admirable for the doctor to treat the patient, rather than just the condition. I attend my doctor and hospital for an ongoing condition (rheumatoid arthritis) but generally have been blessed with good health. It is up to the individual, surely, to look after his or her own health, with regard to sensible diet, exercise, avoiding smoking and over-indulgence in alcohol etc. And to pursue interests and cherish friendships. Anyone who can get out and about and be reasonably active has no need to be lonely, bored etc. There is so much to be done! And there are plenty of housebound people who manage their lives well.

Definitely a good approach; thinking about the person as a whole rather than just focusing on the specific ailment.

I go to see the a GP as least as possible .One feels these day guilty because the NHS or the media saying that people are wasting GPs time.The doctors at my surgery are changing often The surgery itself is ancient .The seats and reception have not been changed for at least
50 years But on TV they show bright new modern surgeries.,Hospitals are EG Moorfieldo.Queens,and Goodmayes are OK

I had not heard of social prescribing but what I have read is a good idea. Hobbies and healthy lifestyles really improve quality of health and happyness. My only other input would be to link up with what the council is putting on. Local to myself we have some really great council initiatives for adults such as beginners brass band, choirs, dance etc. etc.

Social prescribing is a 'good thing' but as others are saying, it should not be a substitute for medication if that is what is required to help someone.

Again like others, I find it impossible to get a GP appointment and find the "turn up before 10am and sit and wait until a GP becomes available" system unbearable. Bring back appointments!

It is a good thing but should be used in moderation. GP surgery shouldn't be a point to find information about local activities, it can be done by libraries. But there are some conditions like depression when social prescribing could work as something that the patient has to do in order to continue their treatment, because it may work much better than medication and is cheaper in long term. Patients with depression may not be eager to find any activities by themselves but when GP says, you have to do it, they have no choice.

The NHS is generally respected for providing an excellent service under pressure while our local council social services departments are often seen as incompetent and even evil, sometimes. I think this all stems from the way local councils and, then the NHS, were created. Local councils were responsible for the running of poor houses, where the weak, ill and otherwise dependent people were housed and treated.
With the creation the NHS the opportunity to embrace the whole "Health" subject under one organisation was missed. At that time, the linkage between social, mental and physical health was not fully appreciated and so we have bits of the "Health" subject provided by different organisations with little real coordination or control. One current issue illustrates this quite well - bed blocking, where hospital beds are occupied by patients waiting release to accommodation or care services supposedly provided by local councils.
The idea of local councils being competent to provide social care and services just doesn't gel with my idea of what a local council is meant to be doing e.g. - ensuring, through the planning process, the adequate provision of accommodation for all needs in the borough, keeping the streets clean, running the parks, repairing the roads.
Wouldn't it be better if the NHS was responsible from cradle to grave for the provision of all aspects of our health? This would need a fundamental reorganisation of the NHS to be more locally based, more able to respond to local needs. Local councils would then have a clearer role of ensuring that the care homes and other health facilities get built but let the NHS run them as part of their full life service.
As part of the NHS service, support for non medical issues could then be dealt with by NHS professionals in local day centres, with GPs left to deal with true medical issues. Such support may still need the GP's involvement, but would not necessarily require an actual appointment.
Too radical??

I was involved in social prescribing many years ago. It is not a new thing. A couple of tertiary colleges in Gloucestershire put adult guidance workers into GP practices a couple of days a week. GPs referred suitable patients, generally speaking, depressed and isolated folk. These patients met with the guidance folk and were recommended classes and groups. Matters of suitability, access and travel were all considered.
It's success depended on there being adult classes and groups being funded and on good relations and understanding between GPS, their practice staff and the colleges and support in the community.
How all this could be set up and sustained with dreadful cuts in all such areas I cannot imagine.

I see my GP regularly, but then I have an increasingly debillitating health condition, having been reasonably healthy for nearly 60 years with less than 20 vists to the GP in that period. Unfortunately medication side effects cause their own problems which require an extra visit from me, like blood not clotting very recently which required an A&E visit in the end as all my attempts to stem it failed.
I don't think frontline medical staff should be dealing with social issues at all, but the local council care department should, perhaps if they got out from their desks, hiding behind locked doors and had an office in each surgery this problem could be solved and free up GP time.
If GP receptionists were better trained and social skills vastly improved then they could actually help instead of hinder, by directing people to the right place for the help required.

We have a State imposed system of not wanting to actually see people and force us all to do it all online, their systems are useless, their replies are equally useless, they won't use email and they try to treat people as identical machines. That system is broken, it never worked in the first place as it was poorly thought out as well as badly designed, amateurs can never replace professionals.
They try to use their current, very bad, process as the template for systems changes but they won't change, but that is forced upon us, this leaves the weakest in society at a severe disadvantage. Stress is the biggest problem, facing us, whether it be from employers, managers or the State, it must change since the NHS is now becoming the one stop shop and it cannot handle it, it should not handle it.
We have pass the parcel system developing with the NHS as the ones left without a chair, joined up thinking has never taken place as all of them wear blinkers and work in self interest insetad of the peoples interest, their employers.
The lower down the scale we go, stress increases and pay goes down leading to bad health.

I hadn't hear of social prescribing and think it should be a valuable strategy. My visits to the GP are usually to do with specific ailments some of which are lifestyle related.

Could be useful for some type of problems eg weight reduction, stress relief, reduction of loneliness after retirement or without employment - but should be delat with seaprately to medical needs as it is already impossible to obtain a GP appointment.