People in Birmingham and the Black Country are getting cycling, walking and other physical activity on prescription from their GP to improve both their physical and mental health thanks to a new social prescribing scheme.
Social prescribing aims to reduce health inequality and make active lifestyles more attractive to people by offering free-to-access cycling and walking activities, such as walking groups, free bikes and cycle training.
Working with the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA),
The Active Wellbeing Society (TAWS) launched the programme in response to an ever-growing need to find new and innovative ways of tackling key health issues including obesity, poor health, inactivity and loneliness – issues which have been a factor for those hardest hit by the Covid 19 pandemic. TAWS has teamed up with eight surgeries and health centres in key areas of Birmingham, to identify and support patients by referring them to a range of non-clinical activities in order to combat physical or mental health issues.
Due to early success, further funding has been sought to roll out the programme to more areas. These services aim to help them connect with others, get active and build confidence by joining walking or cycling groups at their local practice or in the community.
In Birmingham, the programme aims to deliver over 150 social prescribing services, using staff to working with communities to design the activities based on local need. It has so far helped over 40 people in the local community. One of these participants was 53-year-old Art Gilchrist, who found himself struggling with pain, anxiety and stress after treatment for a previous injury was put on hold during the pandemic.