A Leg Up

There is growing consensus that healthcare is most effectively delivered out in the community, close to home, and with as strong a focus on the social determinants of health as the medical ones.

Social isolation, for example, is a strong independent predictor of both poor physical and mental health outcomes. We also know that prevention is not only better than cure, it is also far more cost-effective, and within that domain of ill-health prevention, social interventions give as much bang for their buck as medical ones. 

General practice is ideally placed to bring together the social and the medical. Funding streams, however, have failed to follow the evidence, with general practice providing over 90% of all NHS patient contacts whilst still receiving just 8% of the NHS budget. 

Despite this historic discrepancy in funding, there are signs of change. As well as seeing social link workers embedded within GP surgeries, initiatives that combine social and medical interventions are gaining pace.

A good example of this locally is our very own ‘Broadstone leg club’ which runs every Tuesday morning out of Broadstone youth centre.

Run by the nursing team from The Hadleigh Practice alongside a team of fabulous community volunteers, approximately 30 patients with often isolating lower limb problems attend weekly and benefit not only from excellent nursing care, but valuable social interaction, holistic health promotion and guidance with self-care. For many, the leg club becomes a vehicle out of loneliness and back into engagement with the local community. Leg ulcers heal faster and patients are happier. Costs are lower in comparison to a traditional clinic model, and there are also psychological and educational benefits for nurses when working together in a group setting. 

More of our healthcare needs to be based on the leg club model. However, at present these highly effective initiatives can only continue with the support of volunteers. So, if you are free on a Tuesday morning and want to give a leg up to those in your local community who need it, follow the link above and give Jo or Sue a call to find out more. 

Dr Chris Humphrey

Published: Sep 3, 2024