Elemental selected as Social Prescribing IT Provider

As part of Greater Manchester’s commitment to developing social prescribing across the region, the Londonderry-based health tech innovation company has been selected as its main digital social prescribing provider.

Greater Manchester comprises 10 areas (Bolton, Bury, Manchester, Oldham, Heywood Middleton and Rochdale, Salford, Stockport, Tameside and Glossop, Trafford, and Wigan), with a population of 2.8 million people. Across Greater Manchester the NHS and councils are working with the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector to build a system that takes into account the wider influences on health and wellbeing – work, housing, education, transport and relationships with

friends, family and the community.

Elemental’s Social Prescribing Platform will be available to all NHS bodies and councils in these areas, making it easier for busy health and care professionals to support people holistically by connecting them into community groups and activities.

Jennifer Neff, Elemental Co-Founder/CEO, said: “We are absolutely delighted to be chosen as Greater Manchester’s main digital social prescribing partner. Tameside and Glossop Integrated Care Foundation Trust, Salford CVS and Stockport Viaduct Care are already benefiting from embedding Elemental’s digital platform into their

programmes, so we are already familiar with the importance of delivery and measurement of person and community centred support across the region.

“Elemental has formed strong partnerships with clinical system providers and therefore is able to offer GPs using Vision, EMIS and Systm1 to make, manage and report on referrals to social prescribing programmes. This shifts the relationship between health and care services, and the communities and citizens they serve, so we are really excited about the impacts to come.”

Giles Wilmore, lead for people and communities, Greater Manchester Health and Social Care Partnership, added: “We know social prescribing has already made a difference to so many people whether it’s tackling loneliness and isolation, managing depression and anxiety or getting back to work - we’ve heard amazing stories from right across the region. Now we need to go further and faster so that as many people as possible can benefit from this approach. We want social prescribing to become as commonplace, and just as easy, as booking a blood test or a hospital outpatient appointment. Making Elemental’s social prescribing software available to all NHS bodies and councils will allow health and care professionals to connect people with community groups and activities quickly and easily at the click of a button.”