TITLE: Waterford Community-based Information and Signposting Pilot Project
PROJECT STATUS: Project ongoing
In 2021, the PACC Core Stakeholders undertook a short but comprehensive consultation process, designed to deepen understanding of the barriers limiting the opportunities of people with chronic conditions from participating in regular, appropriate and accessible physical activity. Participants in the consultation included individuals living with chronic conditions, health and social care professionals and community-based physical activity providers.
Consultations highlighted that, while health and social care professionals were keen to signpost patients to physical activity, they were inadequately aware of locally-based, accessible programmes and services. The need for an ongoing and effective flow of information between health, social care and physical activity professionals was emphasised. It was stated that ongoing, effective information flow was an important vehicle in promoting partnership between health, social care and physical activity professionals (and not simply as a one-off exercise at the time of signposting or referral).
In response, PACC established a pilot project in Waterford city and county that seeks to develop a formalised engagement process between healthcare professionals, social prescribers and community-based physical activity providers. The project has worked towards the following outcomes:
In the longer term, the project is also working towards the establishment of an evidence-informed, collaborative, community-based information and signposting process that, via evaluation, will be identified as an innovative and replicable good practice model in contributing to the participation of people with chronic conditions in physical activity.
The project began in 2022, while the actual signposting of people with chronic conditions to the programmes of Waterford Sports Partnership began in Spring of 2023. The project involves a collaboration between health, social prescriber, physical activity and academic partners. The project will be evaluated in 2024 by S3 Consultants.
As of May 2024, membership of the Pilot Project Working Group is comprised of representatives from the bodies below:
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Article Modified: October 08, 2024 10:15 am