# Dance lessons for the lonely - on the NHS



## Northerner (Oct 16, 2018)

GPs in England are being given permission to prescribe patients "social" activities, such as dance classes, to tackle loneliness.

The strategy, announced by Prime Minister Theresa May, will also see postal delivery workers checking in on isolated people during their rounds.

The government says about 200,000 older people have not had a conversation with a friend or relative in over a month.

And many GPs see between one and five people a day suffering with loneliness.

*Art spaces*
As part of the long-term plan, funding will be provided to connect NHS patients in England to a variety of activities, such as cookery classes, walking clubs and art groups, by 2023.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-45861468

If it saves money in the long term and improves peoples' quality of life, then good idea


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## SadhbhFiadh (Oct 16, 2018)

I think in Scotland the NHS has a branch called Building Healthy Communities that does that sort of thing. It very grass roots (if there isn't a more current phrase for that.) Staff go into the community in search of - but not limited to - target groups. Long term conditions, disability under 65, carers, &c and try to connect or create healthy and social activities to individuals. Taster sessions of one thing evolving into something the group prefers to focus on. i.e. a cinema outing turning into a lunch club. There's been one branch locally for at least 15 years. It is deemed a complete success once the newly formed group go independent; support themselves as a group. A women's group my friend is part of is one example. 
It's only one of the strategies NHS uses along that line, but I think it's fairly successful across Scotland SW.


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## mikeyB (Oct 16, 2018)

Yes, the Scottish version is more proactive, and doesn’t require (but doesn’t prevent) input from the GP. Where I lived on Mull, it’s always been that way anyway, everyone looking out for everyone else, but loneliness on the mainland is a different matter.

Yet again, Scotland leading the way on health and happiness. Most folk don’t know what a very different country it is.


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## trophywench (Oct 16, 2018)

The postal workers in England don't actually have a lot of time to stand about and chat with people otherwise they wouldn't be able to get all the contents of their bags delivered in the time, same as the meter readers.  Despite our membership of this club that club, the NHS, and the Income Tax club etc - there are many days where we don't get any post nor do we need to unlock the front door let alone go out of it.

We do speak to our regular postman, and even know his name because we speak if we're out the front when he arrives - but our paths might not cross for months on end!


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## Pumper_Sue (Oct 16, 2018)

So you can have dancing lessons do they do surgery as well to correct two left feet?


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## grovesy (Oct 16, 2018)

I have at least 3 different post person's coming different days and different times to deliver.


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## Northerner (Oct 16, 2018)

grovesy said:


> I have at least 3 different post person's coming different days and different times to deliver.


I think everything changed around privatisation time (as you might expect). Our one regular postie who had served the area for donkey's years disappeared and we ended up with a succession of different people, most of whom you'd only ever see once or twice - seems they were allocated rounds on a daily basis. To some extent, I think this led to a decline in service, as they often delivered mail to the wrong addresses. I had to complain once because a particular postie would screw mail up as he pushed it through my perfectly adequate letterbox for no apparent reason other than perhaps hating the job  Certainly not someone you could stop and have a chat with!


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## Ralph-YK (Oct 16, 2018)

trophywench said:


> We do speak to our regular postman


I wouldn't even know if I have a regular postman!


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## Hepato-pancreato (Oct 16, 2018)

If all the pubs hadn’t shut and other social buildings this wouldn’t’ve Happened.


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## Elaine B-S (Oct 16, 2018)

I can’t get an appointment with the doctor let alone with the postman!


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