social prescribing Archives - Salford Public Health

My PhD journey started when I joined the University of Salford in 2015. Before this I had completed a BSc in Sport & Exercise Science and an MSc in Clinical Exercise Physiology, followed by several years working as a researcher in the health technology industry. Along the way I had also completed qualifications in gym instruction and exercise referral instruction. Therefore, the planets aligned well when an opportunity arose to complete a PhD about exercise referral schemes, combining research experience with personal interests.

Exercise referral schemes are one of the most common approaches to increasing physical activity levels in people with long term conditions, providing access to individualised exercise programmes and support from qualified exercise professionals. There are hundreds of these schemes operating across the UK, illustrating their popularity as a method of physical activity promotion. However, the evidence base underpinning the effectiveness of these schemes to-date has been poor. The aim of my PhD was to contribute to this evidence base, by evaluating Tameside’s “Live Active” exercise referral scheme.

Fortunately, the scope of my PhD was quite broad, meaning that I could develop and practice a wide range of research skills. The majority of my data was quantitative, some of which was secondary data collected by the scheme, and some of which I collected using accelerometers. With so many different types of data, I found myself conducting several types of statistical analyses, from simple to complex statistical tests, several of which I was trying for the first time! Fortunately, I was able to take a break from all of this quantitative data, by conducting a qualitative study. This was the most enjoyable chapter for me, and in the end, turned out to be a very important chapter, revealing findings that were central to my final conclusions.

Margaret and Faye — Dr Faye Prior with supervisor Dr Margaret Coffey at graduation

In March 2019 my PhD journey came to an end, when I successfully defended my thesis at the viva. Following this, I was fortunate enough to be offered a position as a senior research associate at the Equality and Human Rights Commission. Health inequalities were an important consideration in my thesis, and have always been an area of interest and motivation, so this is a fantastic opportunity to explore equality and human rights more broadly. I have no doubt that I would not be in this position, if it were not for the research and transferable skills that I developed throughout my PhD, with the help of my fantastic supervisors, Dr Margaret Coffey, Dr Anna Robins, and Prof Penny Cook. By the end of your PhD, you will have developed more skills than you may realise, some of which will be quite broad and highly valuable, and you must not forget this when planning your next steps after the PhD!

Of course, for myself, and many other students, the PhD journey provided an opportunity to experience and practice more than just the intricate details of research study. Throughout the three years I attended several conferences, both home and abroad, sharing the findings of my research through posters and oral presentations. I also met several other researchers at these conferences, with the same research interests as myself. It has been great to stay in touch with these people, to discuss our research, provide each other with feedback, and some have been kind enough to invite me to collaborate on their work in the future. It was also great to complete this PhD with a partner organisation, Live Active, where I got to develop my stakeholder engagement skills, and attempt to influence practice with my research findings!

This blog post is written by four of our current MSc Students – Aneela Khanum, Cynthia Poolay Mootien, Gloria Serwah Asare & Ella Train

The public health conference on ‘social prescribing, social movements, shaping attitudes and behaviours’ organised by the Salford Professional Development team and the University of Salford, was chaired by Professor Penny Cook, and centred around finding innovative and alternative ways to treat and care for patients outside of healthcare settings.

Chris Easton, from Tameside Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, opened the talk by discussing the implementation of a system wide approach to self-care. He stressed the need to change the public’s perception and behaviour towards clinicians and hospitals, and for more instituitional integration, which will only be successful if both the health and social needs of patients are considered. He also pointed out that more emphasis should be placed on stimulating a fundamental paradigm shift between the people and their communities, as well as the healthcare system. The issues brought up by Chris showed an interesting perspective of the healthcare system that challenges clinical pathways to have self-management at their core, and would encourage doctors to take a more holistic approach when treating their patients.

Alan Higgins, Director of Public Health, Oldham Council, discussed the importance of health as a social movement to empower patients and citizens, strengthen communities, improve health and wellbeing, and eventually moderate the rising demands on the NHS. Another speaker at the event was Siobhan Farmer, a Public Health Consultant for Salford City Council, who talked about the importance of influencing population health by focusing on education in early years, including more person-centred approaches to health and lifestyle behaviours. She further explained the role of Salford City council in health and social care, which gave us further insight on the many health inequalities present in Salford.

Variation in Life Expectancy – Male life expectancy ranges from 81.9 years in Worsley to 69.8 years in Pendleton
(Source: Salford City Council)

The event was also a great networking opportunity, where we met many professionals from various fields in the public health sector. We had the privilege of talking to Professor John Middleton, President of the UK Faculty of Public Health, following his inspiring talk about encouraging an asset-based approach to improving health and wellbeing through social prescribing. The various other speakers at the conference also advocated for a change in the healthcare system, with a more comprehensive community-centred approach, where social prescribing could help change and shape attitudes and behaviours towards health and wellbeing.

The conference ended with a highly inspirational presentation by Chrissie Wellington, Global Lead for Health and Wellbeing Parkrun, and Doctor Simon Tobin a General Practitioner with strong ties to Parkrun, who both stressed the benefits of exercise and outdoor activities for better health. Dr. Tobin emphasised the need for doctors to take a more social approach to improving patients’ healthcare, instead of over-diagnosing and overprescribing without first exploring the hopes, wishes and needs of the patients. The conference concluded with a challenging note, to not only change other people’s attitudes and behaviours towards healthcare, but to also change our own stance on health and social prescribing, for better health and wellbeing in the long-term.

The conference was a wonderful opportunity, to meet public health professionals and academics, as well as be part of an informative forum with many speakers from various fields in public health. Our sincere thanks go to Professor Penny Cook, Dr. Margaret Coffey, Dr. Anna Cooper-Ryan, and Alex Clarke-Cornwell for organising and promoting a very thought-provoking and worthwhile conference.