Ensuring Social Prescribing BALM complies with The NHS Guidelines
The National Health Service (NHS) guidelines for social prescribing. Social prescribing allows GPs, nurses, and other primary care professionals to refer people to a range of local, non-clinical services to support their well-being. Link workers need to ensure that they comply with the social prescribing information standards.
The clinical module training means that as our clinical prescribers and our social prescribers recognise each person having different health needs, dietary requirements, and personal preferences, you can tailor the advice and suggestion to your patient to suit their needs. This section is a guide to ensure that you understand how BALM complies with the guidelines for social prescribing, and we consider many aspects, including:
Non-clinical Approach: The NHS guidelines for social prescribing emphasize the importance of non-clinical interventions in improving patients' health and well-being. The BALM program fits into this criteria as it focuses on baking and dietary adjustments, which are non-clinical in nature.
How BALM is a Holistic Approach: The Club teaches a holistic approach towards health and well-being, addressing physical health through diet, mental health through the therapeutic act of baking, and social health through the Sourdough Club community. Again this is in line with the NHS's social prescribing model, which encourages interventions that consider the whole person, including their physical, emotional, and social needs.
How our approach is a Community-based Intervention: The Sourdough Club provides a supportive community for participants; again, this aligns with the NHS's emphasis on community-based resources in social prescribing.
Our Programme its Core Addresses the Social Determinants of Health: BALM protocol's focus on providing education about nutrition and baking addresses social determinants of health by targeting health literacy, access to healthy food, and social support - all emphasized in the NHS guidelines for social prescribing.
Patient Empowerment: The BALM program emphasises patient empowerment and self-care by teaching participants the skills they need to improve their health and by encouraging active participation in the Sourdough Club. This aligns well with the NHS guidelines, which emphasize empowering individuals to take control of their own health and well-being.
The Social Discounts Ensure Accessibility and Affordability: By offering vouchers to reduce the cost of membership for patients, the BALM protocol is taking steps to make its services more accessible and affordable, a key component of the NHS social prescribing guideline
