Clinical Trial Details
— Status: Withdrawn
Administrative data
| NCT number |
NCT04099095 |
| Other study ID # |
IRAS 261969 |
| Secondary ID |
|
| Status |
Withdrawn |
| Phase |
N/A
|
| First received |
|
| Last updated |
|
| Start date |
January 1, 2020 |
| Est. completion date |
December 31, 2020 |
Study information
| Verified date |
February 2022 |
| Source |
University of South Wales |
| Contact |
n/a |
| Is FDA regulated |
No |
| Health authority |
|
| Study type |
Interventional
|
Clinical Trial Summary
Social prescribing is a way of understanding the things that are important to a person and
then using these to find groups and resources in their local community that can help them
meet their goals and understand their problems. Social prescribing can be used with people
who have physical health problems, mental health problems, social problems such as loneliness
or financial/housing problems.
The Welsh Government has supported the creation of these social prescribing services across
Wales. However, the evidence showing that social prescribing is a good way of improving a
person's well-being and quality of life is not very strong.
This project is an evaluation of a new social prescribing service delivered by British Red
Cross in two areas in Wales. British Red Cross have made a new social prescribing service,
where a link worker works with a patient who has mild/moderate mental or emotional health
problems, to understand their needs and set them goals for the future over 12 weeks of core
support. The link worker will also help them find services in their local community that
might help them achieve their goals.
The study uses a waitlist trial, thus some participants will get to meet the link worker and
have the intervention straight away, while others will have to wait for 20 working days. From
this, the researchers can compare the people who had the intervention straight away with the
people who had to wait. Scores on well-being and quality of life questionnaires will be used
to see the effects of the intervention on participants.
Description:
Social prescribing is an umbrella term to describe ways of linking people to sources of
community-based, non-medical support. There is no fixed definition of social prescribing.
In Wales, social prescribing has many models which require the NHS and third sector
organisations to work closely together. These involve referral to a link worker/community
connector/social prescriber from primary care or another referral route, such as social work
or housing. These roles all practice social prescribing, which includes a 'what matters'
conversation, co-productive goal setting, motivational interviewing and coaching, followed by
referral to third sector and community groups/professionals for support and activity to meet
the person's individual goals.
Social prescribing is being widely implemented and has support from Welsh Government.
However, there is limited research evidence to judge its effectiveness, who benefits (if at
all) and its value for money. Public Health Wales identified gaps in the published evidence
for social prescribing, particularly in the evaluation of social prescribing projects in
primary care in Wales. It is therefore important to employ more rigorous and high-quality
methods to evaluating social prescribing interventions in the community.
As part of a Welsh Government Third Sector grant for delivering a social prescribing pilot
with a focus on mental health, British Red Cross are undertaking a research project in two
localities in Wales, Caerphilly and Pembrokeshire, to create and test a model of social
prescribing. As part of this initiative, a link worker will work with the individual over a
12-week period to discuss their needs, goals and future steps. A link worker helps the
individual to explore extra services that may support them in improving their health, sense
of wellness and independence by providing practical and emotional support.
This study will conduct an evaluation alongside the implementation and delivery of the
British Red Cross social prescribing intervention, using a randomised waitlist evaluation
method. Participants will either receive the social prescribing intervention within 5 days of
giving consent, or 20 working days after consent and baseline data collection. This will
allow the researchers to draw comparisons between the immediate intervention group and the
waitlist controls, who continue to receive usual care. This will also provide a more robust
evidence base for social prescribing interventions. The study will use measures of quality of
life and wellbeing.
