Engagement and evaluation in social prescribing: How do we know we're helping, and helping the right people?

This 'sandpit' event*, organised by researchers at Liverpool John Moores University and funded by the MARCH Network, is designed to bring together researchers, healthcare professionals, social prescribing providers, commissioners, funders, community organisations, and beneficiaries/patients, to identify priorities and proposals for research and practice in social prescribing for mental and physical health. The event will be centred around two main themes: Engagement (e.g. how can social prescribing reach the people who need it most?) and evaluation (e.g. how can we ensure that social prescribing is effective?).

The event will encompass brief presentations to introduce the themes, highlighting the challenges faced in social prescribing, and showcasing case studies of research and practice from within the Liverpool City Region (and beyond). Attendees will then be invited to identify key issues or areas for discussion, working together to identify priorities and research ideas.

*Sandpits are intensive discussion forums where free thinking is encouraged to delve into the problems on the agenda to uncover innovative solutions

Draft timetable:

10:00 Introductory talks

Dr Simon Abrams and Julie Killen, Great Homer Street Medical Centre, Liverpool

Dr Sarah Hotham, Centre for Health Services Studies, University of Kent

Dr Hannah Timpson, Public Health Institute, Liverpool John Moores University

10:45 Panel Q&A with speakers and other invited guests

11:00 Identification of key issues

11:30 BREAK

11:45 Small group discussion of ideas and challenges

13:00 LUNCH

13:45 Small group discussion firming up priorities and ideas

14:45 Small group presentations

15:30 Summing up and going forward

16:00 END.

Refreshments and lunch will be provided.

Although the event itself is free, a small pot of money is available to pay for travel costs to enable beneficiaries of social prescribing services from the Liverpool City Region/Merseyside to attend. If you are interested in receiving some of these funds, please contact the event organiser: Caroline Brett, c.e.brett@ljmu.ac.uk.

Some more information about the organisers and funders:

The event is being organised by Drs Caroline Brett (health psychologist), Hannah Timpson (public health specialist), and Tara Kidd (health psychologist) from Liverpool John Moores University, with support from Dr Simon Abrams (lead GP) and Julie Killen (link worker) from Great Homer Street Medical Centre, Everton, Liverpool.

The MARCH Network is one of 8 national networks funded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) as part of the 2018 cross-council mental healt plus call to further research into mental health. the MARCH Network proposes that social, cultural, and community Assets build Resilience Communities and therefore lie at the heart of Mental Health (M-ARC-H). https://www.marchnetwork.org/