Since 2021, our Community Link Worker (CLW) team has introduced link working and social prescribing to almost 1,400 student medics at the University of Edinburgh.
These sessions contribute to the Health in Communities Practical – part of the Social & Ethical Aspects of Medicine module. Students meet with link workers and third-sector organisations, walk around the local area, and work on a case study involving social issues where a medical approach is not suitable.
We held our first sessions just as we faced the first national lockdown. This meant that everything had to be done online and it stayed that way until 2023.
The sessions involve lots of planning meetings, booking of rooms and coordinating diaries of GPs, CLWs and Third Sector Organisation (TSO) managers which means that January and February seem to pass in a flash. The sessions have evolved hugely over the years with experienced CLWs growing in confidence to speak publicly in person, to newer CLWs jumping in at the deep end and meeting students within the first 6 months of their role. Including a walkabout of the area increases students’ awareness of the homes, shops, roads and services that are commonly found in areas of high deprivation providing an insight into the wider socio-economic challenges in life when discussing someone’s health and wellbeing.
Our involvement with the University has been highlighted at several events; some of the CLWs hosted an information session on medical students at the very first Scottish Community Link Worker Network Conference in 2023, there was such a buzz in the room from other CLWs asking how they could replicate this with medical schools in their area; it was highlighted during a presentation at the 2023 NHS Scotland annual conference as part of the Chief Medical Officers launch of his annual report entitled ‘Realistic Medicine, Doing the Right Thing’; and when our network won the award for ‘Best Local Social Prescribing Link Worker Team’ at the 2024 International Social Prescribing Conference, the judges highlighted the work with medical students when announcing us as winners.
There is no doubt that the session involves a lot of hard work and preparation, but the feedback from all involved makes this one of the highlights of our calendar. Whenever I’ve spoken about the sessions at conferences or events, it is the one subject guaranteed to prompt a flurry of questions or comments. It would be incredible to think this could replicated with other medical schools in Scotland to ensure that every potential GP of the future learns the value of social prescribing at a very early stage and carries this with them throughout their career.
Alison Leitch is Assistant Service Manager for Edinburgh Community Link Worker Network. For more information about Edinburgh’s Community Link Workers, please visit visit their webpage.
