Social prescribing is something that offers GPs and other health professionals a means of referring people to a range of non-clinical community supports which can have significant benefits for their overall health and wellbeing.
Nenagh based Dr Pat Harrold says that some studies show that around 20% of appointments are for non-medical issues and in some cases prescribing medication may not work.
He says that the HSE is putting a lot of work into this area now and the hope is it will see a person’s overall health improve.
“If somebody if eating badly for years and they are taking PPI the heartburn medication and if you manage to get them sorted for that that they might only take one the odd time, but if you’re going to have five pints a night and eat a fry up every morning then you’ll be on it again, so it’s not to be giving a tablet and always putting a band aid over it and it is why I am a big enthusiast for social prescribing. It is definitely something to talk to you doctor about especially people who are lonely and in need of advice.”
Dr. Harold says that in many cases when someone comes in with issues such as money concerns or family issues, sometimes medication would do more damage than good.
However, he acknowledges balance is important and told Tipp Today that medical issues that do require a prescription should not be ignored through social prescribing.
“You know if you are from Tipperary maybe you are old and isolated and lonely and you want to keep your brain active, maybe you can sign up for Irish classes, that’s the whole vibe of social prescribing and the social thing is that you do it with other people, and the TILDA survey shows that being lone is as bad for you as smoking a pack of cigarettes a day.”
