COVID-19 restrictions meant that community groups run by Voluntary Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) organisations, had to adapt almost overnight to a new way of working including online groups and at home activities. Social Prescribing (SP) 1b builds on our previous research which included survey and interviews with VCSE providers who were partners with South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust charity Creative Minds (CM).
This research found that:
- Providers believed that some people benefitted from online based connection/ interaction, but many people found it difficult or not beneficial over a longer period
- The scope of online or home-based activities were themselves limited by resource, funding and the lockdown restrictions
- Feedback was difficult to obtain from group members
- The isolation of lockdown emphasised the importance of the interpersonal connection that groups offered
- Insufficient data had been collected about how participants felt about online or home-based activities.
The aim of this current project (SP 1b) is to understand more about the lived experiences of the people in CM funded groups during lockdown. We want to find out how activities altered during lockdown and the impact this had on group members’ mental health and recovery journeys. This research is important as, since lockdown ended, many groups have continued to offer some degree of online or hybrid activities.
