COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

MEETING OF SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

Monday, June 12, 2023

QUESTION NO. 22

QUESTION: Councillor Joanna Tuffy

To ask the CEO to give an update on the Council involvement in the Healthy Communities Programme, and in particular, its social prescribing programme, and how this is being rolled out in South Dublin, what supports the Council is providing for it to optimise its success

REPLY:

South Dublin County Council plays an integral role in promoting and supporting the health and wellbeing of its local communities. Through the different HSCD Directorate work programmes, we are harnessing and connecting our resources with the Sláintecare Healthy Community partners to deliver positive health outcomes for the communiteis of Clondalkin and Tallaght. We have sought to maximise the use of Enhancement Funding to address some important issues within these areas including the provision of physical activity infrastructure in the County. Seed Funding concepts being considered in 2023 include food insecurity, addressing child poverty and creating safer communities.

A project to address energy poverty and health inequalities linked to energy vulnerability was resourced from Seed Funding and will be a project that will provide much learning with a communications campaign, consumer advice, household energy efficiency and refurbishment and stakeholder engagement.

A further Seed Fund project will see a research consultancy to take a creative approach towards facilitating and developing an in-depth profile and strategy towards targeting the determinants of health within the Tallaght area, to develop an evidence base that illuminates key health inequalities and facilitates creative methods to capture the impact of lived experience of the determinants of health within the area. This project should then be able to map where potential lies for innovative wrap around supports/projects to be developed in 2023.

The Social Prescribing Programme operates through South Dublin County Partnership. The social prescribing service is part of a suite of programmes being offered under the Sláintecare Healthy Communities Programme in Tallaght and Clondalkin. Social prescribing is a free service that supports people to connect with their community to improve their health and wellbeing.  

Social prescribing can help people to:

• Learn to support their mental health and wellbeing
• Build confidence and resilience
• Meet new people and become more social
• Try something new
• Get back to enjoyable social connections, routines or activities.

There are three Social Prescribers working at present, all KPI’s have been met and they are ahead of target.

Social Prescribing is for people over 18 years of age, living in Tallaght/Clondalkin who may need additional health and wellbeing support. Social prescribing can be particularly beneficial to people who feel lonely, socially isolated, anxious, depressed or in need of social supports. People can be referred to social prescribing through their GP, allied health clinicians, community worker or by contacting the social prescriber themselves.

The Council are represented on the Health and Wellbeing Committee, Sláintecarie Local Implementation Group (LIG) and a member of Senior Management sits on the board of South Dublin County Partnership.