Thursday 14th March is Social Prescribing Day, when people across the country are being encouraged to think about finding health solutions in their communities.
When the National Health Service began in 1948, the UK population was 49.4 million. 70 years later the population stands at an estimated 66.5 million, an increase of more than 34%. People are living longer. Many are living with long term conditions such as diabetes and heart disease or suffer with mental health issues and may need to access their local health services more often.
Social prescribing is a way of enabling GPs, nurses and other health professionals to help people find non-medical solutions to personal health issues. It’s an holistic approach, which looks at the mental and physical needs of the person as a whole, not just the symptoms of a particular illness.
Around 92% of locations across Norfolk can receive fast broadband. That’s around 24 Mbps. And Better Broadband for Norfolk is working hard to increase that figure. You can check broadband availability in your area at www.betterbroadbandnorfolk.co.uk. That’s if you can get broadband in the first place of course…
CAN was commissioned by Macmillan Cancer Support to find out what support and information is available for people aged 60+ and their carers and families in Norfolk and Waveney’s rural communities.
A recent press article highlighted the best and the worst of rural broadband provision across Norfolk and Waveney – read all about it at https://bit.ly/2R0WtE9
With the colder weather and longer nights upon us, the cost of heating oil is a big worry for many people who live in ‘off-gas’ areas, so a Norfolk charity is encouraging consumers to save money by joining a collective buying scheme.