Many things affect our health and wellbeing and sometimes it takes more than our GP and medicine to help us feel better. Social prescribing involves exploring non-medical solutions to improve our health and wellbeing and connecting people to clubs, groups, activities, services and like-minded individuals within the community.

Connect for Health is the new initiative providing social prescribing across Ipswich and East Suffolk. The service is for anyone over the age of 18 and is completely free and confidential. Connect for Health can assist with a range of issues including: social isolation and loneliness, emotional wellbeing, healthy lifestyle choices, arts, culture and creative activities, confidence and self-esteem, a sense of purpose, accessing volunteering, training, education and work and accessing welfare benefit and financial support.

You may be referred to Connect for Health by your GP or health professional, or you can sign-up for yourself. You will be assigned a Social Prescribing Link Worker, known locally as a Community Connector, who will spend time listening to you, exploring your interests and concerns, understanding what matter to you and offering practical, helpful and non-judgemental advice.

Together you will devise an action plan focused on activities within the community that can support you to improve your health and wellbeing.

The action plan focused on activities within the community that can support you to improve your health and wellbeing. The action plan is completely led by you and could involve: joining a Meet Up Monday or lunch club, offering your skills and knowledge through volunteering, attending confidence or stress management workshops, using coaching techniques to find solutions to problems, referrals to healthy lifestyle services or counselling, starting an exercise class, enrolling on an educational course, going on a health walk, or accessing benefit advice.

Whatever you decide, the Community Connector will be by your side throughout your journey and may accompany you to activities within the community.

To make an appointment contact your GP surgery or call Suffolk Family Carers on 01473 835477 and ask for the Connect for Health team.