Every Saturday morning for the past six years, Richard Wheeler
has been lacing up his trainers and heading to Aberbeeg parkrun –
and he's busy making sure as many people as possible join him.
“I was 50, a bit overweight, smoking, and I thought – let's do
something about it,” said Richard, speaking on Social Prescribing
Day (March 26).
Social prescribing involves people being referred to
community-based activities to improve their health and wellbeing,
as an alternative to being prescribed medicines or other forms of
clinical support.
An occupational therapist technician, who has run his local
parkrun more than 100 times, Richard now recommends social
prescribing to his own patients, his colleagues – and even his
son and daughter, because he says the benefits aren't only about
physical health.
He added: “It builds routine – you've got to get up, you've got
to be there, and they won't wait for anyone. For some people,
they only come out on a Saturday for the run. It stops isolation.
My job is about enabling people to find their thing, and parkrun
does that. It's only 5k on a Saturday morning – but it's not only
5k on a Saturday morning. This is medicine. It just doesn't come
in a box.”
Social prescribing uptake has increased in Wales in recent years,
with parkrun being one of many activities at the forefront of
this effort.
Whether people first speak to someone in health, social care,
housing, education, a community organisation, or refer
themselves, there is no wrong door.
Any practitioner or service can help guide people to find the
right support. It could range from walking groups and arts
activities to benefits advice and befriending services. Rather
than reaching for a prescription pad, a GP, nurse, housing
officer or other support worker can refer someone to an
organisation where they can find support in the community to
improve their physical or mental wellbeing.
About a fifth of GP consultations have been found to be primarily
about social rather than medical problems. Through social
prescribing, a person might be referred for loneliness, a
bereavement, a long-term health condition, or financial worries.
Richard added: “It's a community. I love the inclusivity of it
all; you go there and someone is in their 80s, and someone's 10,
all these people, all different backgrounds – I just love it!
It's like a little family to be fair – well a huge family!”
All health boards in Wales are now either referring people and
staff to parkrun, or planning to do so imminently, making Wales
the first nation in the UK where every health board is engaged
with parkrun as a prescribing tool.
Guidance published earlier this month as part of the National
Framework for Social Prescribing (NFfSP) outlines what best
practice looks like in terms of an accepted Welsh model of social
prescribing, without dictating how this is delivered in different
communities.
The document outlines a set of standards and values for social
prescribing, and guidance on how to monitor and evaluate
effectiveness, with the aim of establishing social prescribing as
a recognised and credible approach to greater public well-being
within health and care systems.
Chief Medical Officer, Dr Isabel Oliver, who is also a
keen runner, said:
“Social prescribing is about recognising that good health is
shaped not just in clinics, but by our communities, homes, work
and relationships.
“Connecting people with community support and help to form
healthy habits like running or giving up-smoking helps prevent
illness, and supports people to live longer, healthier and
fulfilling lives.
“On Social Prescribing Day, I want to celebrate the incredible
work happening in communities right across Wales, and the
organisations and practitioners who are making a real difference
to people's lives every day.”
parkrun National Coordinator for Wales, MBE, said:
“parkrun brings people together, whether you walk, jog, run,
volunteer or spectate. Every week, we see first
timers arrive feeling nervous and leave with smiles. It
takes that first step. They then come back the following week to
soak up more of that happy & healthy vibe.
“Getting outside, moving your body, and
feeling part of a community can be genuinely life-changing.
People across Wales are finding their way to parkrun thanks to
signposting from healthcare professionals, voluntary
organisations and through their own motivation. We're here to
welcome them.”
Notes to editors
