Patient and stakeholder engagement project: The potential of social prescribing in supporting the health and wellbeing of people diagnosed with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI)

This is a follow-up project from the sand-pit events we had in 2020. 

There is no clinical pathway for people with MCI post-diagnosis. Clinicians have little time and few resources to provide support. Through social prescribing, there is an opportunity for these patients to connect with local groups, organisations, charities or activities that may support their health or wellbeing. However, there has been little research on the role of social prescribing specifically for individuals living with MCI.

This engagement project aims to increase understanding of the unmet needs and priorities of patients with MCI in relation to their health and wellbeing. It will inform the development of a feasibility study into the implementation of social prescribing for people with MCI. In light of the coronavirus pandemic, we are particularly interested in exploring how individuals would like to engage with support should face-to-face contact be restricted.

In group discussions, creative storytelling methods will be employed to capture the experiences and perspectives of patients. These will be shared with memory clinic clinicians,  GPs and link workers to explore their thoughts on the patients’ stories and to add their views on unmet needs and the role of social prescribing. Findings will be disseminated to stakeholders in memory clinics and brain health clinics, to GPs, Primary Care Networks, Clinical Commissioning Groups and relevant third sector organisations and funders.

If you would like to learn more about this project, please contact Shona Forster, Communications and Public Engagement, Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford (shona.forster@psych.ox.ac.uk). 

Project report

View the November 2022 project report

Related blogs

Patient perspectives on the role of social prescribing for mild cognitive impairment (MCI)