The NOVA National School of Public Health (NOVA NSPH) and Cascais City Council officially launched a partnership between the two institutions that will enable the implementation of a Social Prescribing pilot project in the municipality of Cascais. This innovative project will improve health in the municipality, particularly mental health, by providing more individualised health and social care centred on the needs of each person, promoting greater social integration and autonomy for all those involved.
Social Prescribing is an innovative intervention to integrate person-centred health and social care, with the aim of promoting health and well-being, optimising the use of services and reducing health inequalities. This intervention aims to respond to non-clinical needs (social, emotional and everyday needs with an effect on health, such as isolation and loneliness, social and economic vulnerabilities, lifestyles or social integration).
In this first phase, NOVA NSPH is supporting the Cascais City Council in identifying and training the institutions and teams that will make the project possible on the ground, namely health professionals and social sector professionals, as well as supporting communication campaigns centred on this topic and its benefits.
The second phase of the project will involve implementing the pilot and monitoring it in the different units included, namely in the Emergir Family Health Unit and, for the first time, in a unit dedicated to people without a family doctor: the Bata Branca Unit of the Santa Casa de Misericórdia de Cascais.
‘The implementation of this project in Cascais is another significant milestone in NOVA NSPH’s mission to promote public health and the well-being of communities. Extending the project to another municipality demonstrates its positive impact and its ability to transform the role that healthcare and other partners can play in the lives of the populations they support. Municipalities, such as Cascais City Council, play a key role in joining forces with academic, health and social institutions to create solutions that meet the needs of their populations, promoting inclusion and social development,’ says the dean of NOVA NSPH, Sónia Dias.
‘Social Prescribing in Cascais represents a commitment to the well-being and inclusion of our citizens, placing health and social support at the centre of our action. This project is an example of how collaboration between the municipality, health institutions and social partners can create innovative solutions that meet the real needs of the population. By adopting this pioneering and transformative model, Cascais is strengthening social cohesion, solidarity and health promotion, where everyone has access to the resources they need to improve their quality of life. Together, we are building a healthier and more inclusive future for everyone, everyone, everyone,’ emphasises the mayor of Cascais, Carlos Carreiras.
It is now known that 80 per cent of health depends on social determinants and that around 20 per cent of consultation time in primary healthcare ends up being dedicated to social needs. With Social Prescribing it is possible to make a positive contribution to these indicators, reducing social isolation, functional dependency and improving mental health through participation in multiple activities, such as physical activity, cultural activities and volunteering, and promoting motivation, autonomy and the ability of users to manage their health. These interventions are reflected in a reduction, for example, in the number of consultations or the use of inappropriate emergency services.
Social Prescribing is a well-established intervention in more than 20 countries. In Portugal, NOVA NSPH has been supporting various organisations and municipalities in the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of this initiative, having founded the Social Prescribing network in April this year.
The Social Prescribing Portugal network, which is part of NOVA NSPH ‘s Social Prescribing Knowledge Centre, aims to boost Social Prescribing in Portugal. It brings together multidisciplinary professionals, service users, managers, policy makers and researchers, and aims, in a collaborative approach, to enhance skills, share experiences and disseminate strategies for the effective and sustainable implementation of Social Prescribing in Portugal.