COORDINARE has partnered with Primary and Community Care Services (PCCS) to deliver a new social prescribing service.

Social prescribing involves the referral of patients to local non-clinical services to improve their health and wellbeing and has the potential to address unmet patient needs, easing pressure on GPs and other healthcare professionals.

This provides GPs with an important tool to assist them in supporting their patients during these challenging times. Particularly patients with, or at risk of, long term health conditions, those who are lonely and isolated and those who need practical help with social and other factors impacting their health.

The new social prescribing service, Social Rx®, is staffed by local social workers who undertake a holistic needs assessment and can assist your patients to access community resources and non-clinical supports, such as:

• Government services like support with applications for the NDIS, My Aged Care, NSW Housing and Centrelink.
• physical activity programs like walking groups, chair yoga, lawn bowling, or online groups.
• healthy lifestyle/food programs like Meals on Wheels, food banks and cooking groups.
• social programs and services like art classes, book clubs, coffee clubs, and community centre programs.

The social worker will keep you informed of your patient’s goals and what supports or connections have been put in place to address their non-medical needs, including through electronic discharge summaries delivered using HealthLink.

If you would like to refer a patient to the service or find out more about it, please call PCCS on (02) 9477 8700 or simply visit the PCCS website, fill out the referral form and fax it to 1300 067 747 or secure message it to HealthLink EDI: gpsocial.

For more information please also see the Social Rx® FAQ here.

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