Stockport Council is working on a new project to help support people with long-term health conditions enjoy a better quality of life.
The Council has been awarded £349,000 from Nesta to ensure social action plays a big part in joint health and social care services locally.
This follows on from the Council’s previous success with Nesta’s People Powered Health programme which helped people with mental health problems recover their independence and in many cases find work – often through the encouragement and support of talking to others who have recovered.
The aim of the new project is to encourage and support friends, family and neighbours to work alongside health and social care professionals to improve the quality of life of people who are struggling to cope with the impact of their long term health conditions.
Through a range of practical activities the aim is to make connections between people, increase confidence and grow resilience to future episodes of ill health. Activities include support to help people manage their own care and stay healthy, ‘social prescribing’ which GPs can prescribe alongside medical treatments, using volunteers to set up and support community groups and activities, coaching and buddying.
Work to recruit and support volunteers to get involved in this exciting work is already underway.
Councillor Keith Holloway, Stockport Council’s Executive Member for Adult Care Services, said:
“Nesta are supporting several programmes using social action to help deliver care, but this is the only one being led ‘from the inside’ – from commissioning teams themselves.
“If successful, it has the potential to evolve into a national debate on the way care systems are designed and delivered and we are delighted that Stockport will be firmly at the forefront of any such developments.”
For more information visit the Council website at www.stockport.gov.uk/nesta