Every so often, we highlight case studies from our Social Prescribing Link Workers.

Our Link Workers work with GPs across Birmingham and Solihull to provide social and non-medical support for patients. Their role is that of connector: working with people to help them identify their own needs, and then putting them in touch with support services that can help them in the longer term.

Because a Link Worker can spend weeks talking, listening and building a relationship with a patient, they sometimes find that people’s needs go beyond what was disclosed to their GP. This was the case when Link Worker Abeda took on a case referred by a Balsall Heath GP, which mentioned only that the patient needed help with a benefits application.

Changing support for changing circumstances: Yasmin’s story

When Yasmin (not her real name) was referred to the Social Prescribing Link Worker service, she was allocated to Abeda (pictured). Yasmin’s referral, which came from her GP surgery, mentioned that she would like some general advice on benefits, so Abeda gave her a call to find out more.

During their first conversation, Abeda asked Yasmin to tell her as much as possible about her situation, to make sure she could give her all-round support. Often, things come up in these initial chats that might not have been mentioned in the referral – and sometimes, it can help the person just to know they have someone to talk to.

Yasmin, who’s in her 30s, told Abeda that she was having some difficulties with her benefit claims, because there had been some changes in her circumstances.

Until recently, she explained, she had been the sole carer for her mum, who had cancer. Sadly, her mum passed away last year, so Yasmin now lives alone. She also has some physical health problems of her own – issues with her legs that mean she is now unable to work. So, she wanted to make sure she was claiming the correct benefits, and asked Abeda to help her with applications for employment support allowance and universal credit.

They made the claim together, making sure the authorities had all the correct information, and that Yasmin understood all the related evidence that would need to be submitted.

Over the few weeks that Abeda supported Yasmin, she could see that her health was deteriorating, and that she was finding it more and more difficult to care for herself. When Yasmin told Abeda that she had slipped and fallen trying to have a bath, Abeda asked if she would think about getting a carer of her own to help her around the house. She agreed, so together they applied to Occupational Therapy for an assessment, and also looked at local care agencies to see if there was one that might be able to help.

Within a few weeks, she had had an assessment, and together they had found a care service Yasmin was happy with. Now, carers from Sevacare visit her three times a week to help her at home and, depending on the outcome of the Occupational Therapy assessment, she may also be able to get additional support and equipment.

Yasmin has continued to submit sick notes to support her benefits claim, but she is still waiting to hear the results of the application. Because she has less money coming in than before, she’s finding it harder to pay bills, so Abeda helped her to get a discount from Severn Trent, as part of their scheme for people with a low household income.

Abeda hopes that Yasmin’s benefit claim will be accepted soon, but until then she’s continuing to chase it on her behalf, and to support Yasmin while she waits. Yasmin has said she would have been lost without the service, especially during such a difficult time, and tells Abeda she is very grateful for giving her so many options.

This is the fourth blog post in a series highlighting the inspiring work of our Social Prescribing Link Workers. Previously, Wayne, Becky and Glenn highlighted some of the ways our Link Workers listen and support their patients, helping them to improve their confidence and develop their independence.

To support the UN’s #16days of activism against gender-based violence this blog will look at the support given to Ellie* by Link Worker Liana after Ellie separated from her husband. Much like all our Link Workers, Liana was able to listen and offer guidance to help Ellie deal with the practical problems she was facing after her life changed. This allowed her to have better control over her finances, set boundaries with her ex’s family as well as find more permanent housing.

Ellie’s Story:

Ellie was referred to a Link Worker by her GP because it was felt she needed additional support. A mother of three, Ellie had recently separated from her husband because of domestic abuse.

Link Worker Liana called Ellie as soon as possible to find out more about her situation and to talk through how she may be able to help.

Ellie told Liana that, although she was working, she was struggling – both financially and emotionally. After moving out and living with a friend for a while, she and her children were now living in a property rented from a private landlord, but it wasn’t ideal and she was finding it hard to budget. She was also finding the new family situation very hard; she wanted her children to be able to see her ex-partner’s family, but was finding the management of these relationships difficult and it was causing her a great deal of anxiety.

Liana realised that Ellie’s confidence was very low and that she would need help to rebuild it after such big changes. Between them, they established that Ellie’s priorities were to get a handle on her finances, to feel more confident about setting boundaries with her ex’s family, and to secure a more permanent housing solution.

The first referral Liana made was to Gingerbread, the charity for single parent families, which would be able to provide expert advice and help Ellie to make the necessary arrangements for child support.

Then she helped Ellie to make some benefits calculations, putting her in touch with the benefits agency and helping her to research and claim for the benefits she was entitled to.

Liana also helped Ellie to budget and find more suitable ways to manage her day-to-day finances. She showed her how to apply for the Severn Trent Trust fund and their Big Difference Scheme, which is for people on a low income, to see if she would be eligible to make non-standard payment arrangement for water bills.

The housing situation was very important to Ellie, so Liana and Ellie looked at all the options available to her. They contacted Birmingham City Council to find out current waiting times, and talked about applying to local housing associations – for which Liana was able to give Ellie all the information and contact details she needed.

This practical help, together with the amount of time Liana has been able to give Ellie to talk things through and decide for herself what she and her family need, has been a great help to Ellie. She’s found ways to allow her children to see their dad’s family in a way that causes her much less stress, and is feeling much more confident about her future.

* Ellie’s name has been changed

This is the second blog post in a series highlighting some of the real life cases our Social Prescribing Link Workers have worked on since they started in February.

You can read the first one, about Wayne and his patient ‘Linda’, here: Social Prescribing case study: “Help me to sort this out!”

“I just want to know my son is OK”: Chloe’s story

Chloe* was referred to Link Worker Becky (pictured, right) by her GP, who reported that Chloe was struggling with her mental health and a lack of routine.

When Becky contacted Chloe a few days later, it was obvious why. She said, “my baby son has been taken into care and is being adopted. I haven’t seen him for months. I just want to know if he’s OK but I’ve called and the social worker isn’t answering.”

At first, Becky simply listened.

In supported housing because of her learning difficulties and mental health needs, Chloe also told Becky she was unhappy sharing a house with people who, she felt, didn’t care about her son. She had previously lived with her son’s dad but now they were in separate houses and, because of Covid-19, they couldn’t see each other. She felt sad and isolated.

Having established that finding out about the baby was Chloe’s priority, Becky offered to call the social worker, and the next day was able to reassure her that her son was doing well. She explained that she would be sent a “settling in” letter, and helped her understand that, although she couldn’t see him, she would be able to write a letter to him every year.

Giving Chloe the space to talk about her son was vital. They discussed writing letters, or keeping a journal, and Becky has suggested setting aside a time each week to think about him and express her feelings. She’s reassured Chloe that what she’s going through is a very significant and difficult thing, and put her in touch with Karis Neighbourhood Scheme’s Listening and Guidance Service, which supports people going through loss.

Chloe really wants to move house, so Becky contacted her support worker, who told her that Chloe is in arrears and on a very low level of benefit. Clearly, budgeting isn’t easy –Chloe had already run out of food for the month – so Becky put her in touch with Ladywood Money Advice to find out if she’s on the right benefits, and what her housing options are. In the meantime, she also arranged for a one-off food parcel to be delivered.

Becky also pointed Chloe to an online social prescribing art group, which has turned out to be beneficial to both of them. Becky says, “it’s great because she enjoys the activities and it’s something for us to talk about. But the group leader has also shared a lot of Housing Association knowledge with us. We can communicate about Chloe and keep her GP in the loop too. It’s a great network.”

Chloe continues to lead her own support, but Becky expects she’ll help her with housing, budgeting support, and perhaps finding some volunteer work over the next few weeks. In the long term, she hopes Chloe will be able to make sense of the loss of her son.

Becky says, “when someone has multiple issues, it’s natural to want to do everything at once, but it’s important to focus on a person’s priorities. It’s not about rushing in with a magic wand or a sledge hammer. As Link Workers, we are able to spend time getting to know someone, understanding their needs and supporting them one step at a time.”

*Chloe’s name has been changed

Social Prescribing Link Workers and lockdown

Based at GP practices, Link Workers take referrals directly from GPs and other practice staff for Social Prescribing: offering one-to-one “whole person” support for non-medical and social issues, and helping people to access local activities and services.

We started putting together our Birmingham Social Prescribing Link Workers team in February; however, they had only been working with their local surgeries for a few weeks when Covid-19 hit and the country went into lockdown.

As more and more people started to need help, the referrals came flooding in and our Link Workers went into overdrive. As well as continuing to build relationships with their local GPs and care staff, they also continued to build their networks of local organisations and agencies, including making contact with the hundreds of new volunteer organisations and foodbanks that were popping up. And of course they were still getting to know each other as a team, albeit remotely. All work was done via video and phone calls, with occasional visits to foodbanks, shops and pharmacies to help patients out.

It has been tough, but they have done (and continue to do!) a tremendous job. In the five months they have been in their roles, our Social Prescribing Link Workers have already supported more than 400 people.