Social prescribing tool endorsed by NICE

A new social prescribing assessment tool, created by our Live Well Wakefield service in partnership with West Wakefield Health & Wellbeing Ltd, has been endorsed by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).

The tool is a series of questions which identify the extent to which older people are involved in activities and can manage their daily living requirements. It consists of five sections based on the New Economics Foundation five ways to wellbeing and each section contains five questions that support the recommendations within NICE Guidance NG32. By asking the series of questions within an individual’s home environment, the user can gain a greater understanding of how the person is managing. Where there are low scores, the worker can then work with the individual to address any difficulties they face.

Jill Poole, Live Well manager, said: “We’re delighted that the tool was picked up by NICE. It’s an holistic tool which explores all aspects of someone’s life based around the five ways to wellbeing. A big advantage is that it’s both an assessment tool and a tool to measure peoples progress on the elements of their lives they wish to address. Having a combined tool reduces the amount of paperwork and avoids duplicating questions which is better for everyone.”