A LOCHGELLY councillor has praised the impact of a Social Prescribing Pilot in the town and welcomed plans to expand it throughout the Cowdenbeath-Lochgelly area and beyond.

The senior councillor has praised the work of the Social Prescribing project which is developing a new preventive service aimed at addressing mental health issues in the Cowdenbeath area.

Cowdenbeath Area Committee heard an update on Fife’s pilot “Social Prescribing Initiative,” which tackles mental health problems and is based at Lochgelly Health Centre. Social prescribing is a way of expanding treatment options to those with mental ill-health and providing patients with non-clinical support within their community.

The committee heard on Wednesday from pilot co-ordinator, Belinda Morgan, about its best practice approach which includes: Full assessment of the patient; Assisting the patient to identify key influences on mental wellbeing and appropriate non-clinical sources of support, including self-help; Liaising with a range of organisations offering social or therapeutic activities to address poor mental wellbeing and/or its determinants within the local community; and Providing personalised assistance for the patient to access these services.

Based on initial findings, the Committee agreed to award further funding of £27,754 to the scheme to ensure more patients can be referred and have their outcomes evaluated.

Councillor Mark Hood will act as the Committee champion for improving Health and Wellbeing, especially Mental Health, in the Cowdenbeath Area and is to lead the work of the Mental Health sub-group of the area’s Local Community Planning Partnership.

Councillor Hood, welcomed the news that the project is to be expanded saying, “I’m pleased we are able to continue to support this project and I look forward to continuing to work with officers from Fife Council and the NHS to develop the service and hopefully roll it out across the Cowdenbeath area.” The Social Prescribing project originated from last year’s Lochgelly Health Round Table event which brought together GP’s, Health workers, voluntary groups and council services all focused on what can be done to improve the health of the local community. Mr Hood said, “When we got people from a cross section of our community groups and public services in a room together it was clear that there was some great work being done, but it was also clear that people where working in isolation.

“The social prescribing project brings all of the services together in a co-ordinated way and fast tracks patients to the services they require.

“Often patients attending at a GP’s surgery have underlying problems and anxieties about money, housing, relationships, low self-esteem and general poor health.

“The Social Prescribing Project allows GP’s to refer patients to a nurse who can quickly arrange access to a range of services from a number of agencies tailored to their needs and which supports patients in addressing their underlying issues.” Mr Hood continued, “As well as having the best outcomes for patients, this form of early intervention will result in savings being made as patients make a speedy recovery and are not stuck in a cycle of GP visits and medication which fail to address the underlying issues.

“Initial results for the project have proved promising.” Councillor Ann Bain asked how long it would take before the project could be rolled out across the area and into the Lochs and Kelty in particular, and Belinda Morgan said that if the current progress continued it could be within the the next year.

Councillor Willie Clarke, committee chair, said, “At any given time, one in four adults has a mental health problem. There is a growing need for support, not only through Fife Council’s Health and Social Care directorate, but through our partners. A strength of this pilot has been the partnership working with primary care and the 3rd sector. This has made the services more accessible for people in the Cowdenbeath and Lochgelly communities.”