Collaborative Practice Social Wellbeing Activities

The wellbeing of the people registered with our Practice is the top priority for everyone at Adur Health Partnership.

We recognise that physical and mental wellbeing is interlinked and not everything can be solved by clinical intervention or medication alone.

In the spring of 2023 we carried out an audit on the reasons our patients book and attend their appointments. This audit showed that about 40% of people who saw a clinician presented with loneliness, isolation, anxiety, long term conditions and aging. Sadly, none of these conditions can be solved in 15 minute appointments. Sometimes clinical intervention is not the best approach. On the contrary! The best interventions for these conditions are social contact and the ability to speak to someone who might be tackling the same of similar issues. And this is where Collaborative Practice comes into its own.

Collaborative Practice is a new social model of health care – one that is better designed to support people to adapt and cope with the conditions mentioned above in this often lonely world. The model of care is nothing too new. In the past, it would have been more common for people to have wider family support, and more time would have been spent together. Adur Health Partnership is offering all people registered with our Practice the opportunity to meet and connect with other people while enjoying health, fun and free activities held in a safe environment. People attending these activities will have the chance to meet new friends and make new connections, get out and about, and be more active. They will be able to speak to people who might be feeling the same as them and thus offer support to each other. This will lead to positive outcomes for both the patients and the Practice.

Offering these social activities to all registered with us, AHP offers new services, activities and support which opens up new possibilities. The activities are based on what matters to our patients and the Practice which is: making life better for everyone.

AHP’s Collaborative Practice is made up of AHP staff and Practice Champions. Practice Champions are members of the Shoreham and Southwick community who gift their time to organise and run the activities so everyone can benefit from them. Practice Champions are our colleagues and play a vital role within AHP, without whom we would not be able to roll out any of the social activities on offer.

Social wellbeing activities are just what our clinicians recommend to all to help start healing and maintain a healthy mind – and physical benefits might soon follow.