AN EMPTY space at The Health Centre on Canvey Island has been transformed into a “social prescribing” hub, where residents can receive support in many areas of their lives.

There used to be a large area within the GP surgery in Third Avenue that was left vacant. This is now being put to use as a hub for Castle Point Association of Voluntary Services (CAVS) to offer services for wellness, family mentoring, befriending, women’s networks, buddy schemes and more.

Rachael-Ann Taylor is the social prescribing community manager.

“There were empty spaces within the GP surgery which we have been able to utilise. Now we have offices spaces, kitchen and social area, a one-to-one room for counselling and other services needing an element of privacy, and a larger room for communal activities,” explained Rachael-Ann.

“CAVS offer a range of services like family mentoring, weight management, signposting and more. If someone is having financial or housing stress and seeing a doctor for anxiety or depressionit is not solving the problem. Social prescribing is a way to try and help with the root cause of people’s issues.”

It is Rachael’s job to identify spaces within property that NHS Property Services owns and assess whether there is space within the building that is empty of being underutilised.

“We identify a space and bring the site up to a modern standard and identify social prescribing charities who can come in and support the community,” said Rachael-Ann.

“Social prescribing hubs tend to be greener spaces compared to GP surgeries, people feel relaxed there and open up more.”

Working in close partnership with the NHS, the hub boasts a garden area with office facilities which support both local residents and team members to have access to both clinical and nonclinical spaces in one building.

Social prescribing revolves around providing non-clinical routes of treatment to people with a range of social or health issues.

This allows patients to have more choice in the support they need. Patients with complex needs can be referred to social prescribing services within their community by their GP.

Since 2019, government-owned NHSPS have been transforming vacant spaces in the NHS estate into social prescribing hubs and now there are more than 50 hubs up and down the country.