Ways to Wellness UK

07/04/2026

Fantastic to be mentioned in this round-up that demonstrates how transformative community connection is to health and recovery - and highlights the power of working relationally, and truly listening

Gyms, walking groups, gardening, cooking clubs and volunteering have all been shown to work in improving the health and well-being reported by a group of

07/04/2026

Proud to support the World Health Organization (WHO)'s 2026 - celebrating the power of scientific collaboration to protect , and highlighting the multilateral cooperation needed to turn evidence into action.

All of our projects are centred on collaboration, with the aim of collecting the evidence required to support positive systemic change.

Our pre-operative work is just one example, and we're excited to collaborate with both new and established partners as our work develops. Get in touch to find out more about how to partner with us in making evidence-led change.

https://www.waystowellness.org.uk/newsblogs/ways-to-wellness-rewarded-for-its-partnership-working-at-the-newcastle-hospitals-celebrating-excellence-awardsnbsp

02/04/2026

🐣 This is a reminder that our office will be closed over the Easter break on Good Friday, 3 April and Easter Monday, 6 April. We will be open again on Tuesday, 7 April.

We hope everyone has a lovely Easter!

26/03/2026

🥳 Happy Social Prescribing Day!

It was brilliant to kick off the day with Voluntary Organisations'​ Network North East (VONNE)'s 'The Power of People: a celebration of social prescribing across the North East and North Cumbria'.

Simon Bromhead talked about how our work supporting people with persistent physical symptoms is being adapted as part of the North East Combined Authority Trailblazer to help people get closer to work.

📣 Hear from Sumi, who was supported by the project.

Anna Basu talked about how SPACE Pilot was created as a collaboration between the Great North Children's Hospital, Newcastle University and Ways to Wellness to offer much-needed support to children with complex health needs and their families.

Today, we are also honoured to attend the parliamentary reception for National Academy for Social Prescribing to mark their designation as the World Health Organization (WHO) Collaborating Centre for Social Prescribing Policy and Development.

23/03/2026

✨ Telling the story of your social prescribing impact using data ✨

Are you a Social Prescribing Link Worker or associated staff member (e.g. Team Leaders, GP practice staff)?

Join one of our free one-day workshops in May/June to learn how to:

✅ understand your data
✅ consider data you might want to collect
✅ explore how to present your outcomes for maximum impact.

We are running this training with the support of Newcastle University as a prototype, and it will be offered at no cost.

There are four in-person date options across Tyne and Wear, County Durham, the Tees Valley, and North Cumbria, and two online options that are open to individuals from across the North East region.

Places on these training courses will be limited, so we are asking interested participants to register their interest by 17 April 2026.

Fill in our Expression of Interest ➡️ https://forms.office.com/e/H7RQu5x50d

This training is funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council and Northern Health Futures (NortHFutures) Hub.

19/03/2026

Yesterday, our link workers attended a sighted guide training session delivered by Guide Dogs UK.

The session provided hands-on experience, from exploring what it’s like to carry out everyday tasks such as pouring a glass of water or counting change while blind or partially sighted, to practising sighted guiding techniques together.

Over the three hours, they built confidence and gained a deeper understanding of how to support people who are blind or partially sighted effectively. The training also covered myth-busting, barriers to independence, access rights, and the emotional impact of vision loss.

By strengthening our link workers' skills and confidence in this area, we’re helping ensure our work remains inclusive and accessible to everyone who needs it.

10/03/2026

We are pleased to receive this shiny new plaque to add to our growing collection of trophies and accolades - this time from the Matrix Standard, a Department for Education initiative demonstrating Ways to Wellness UK offers the highest quality Information, Advice and Guidance (IAG) on health, and health inequalities.

Roger Chapman, Head of the Matrix Service for The Growth Company, which manages the accreditation on behalf of the UK government, said: “This is a fantastic achievement for Ways to Wellness and I would like to congratulate the team on
their success.

"We believe that at the heart of high-quality advice and support services are strong leadership, excellent service and a focus on continuous improvement, all underpinned by effective use of the resources available. The Matrix Standard is designed to benchmark organisations against best practice in these areas.

"With its accreditation success, Ways to Wellness is working to provide the best possible support to its clients.”

Our biggest thanks to our Head of Digital Systems Sonia Townend (pictured) who led us through the accreditation process.

www.matrixStandard.com

05/03/2026

"The findings of the ‘UK Poverty 2026’ report from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) are unsurprising yet shocking”, states Ways to Wellness Chief Executive Sandra Mitchell-Phillips.

“In the wake of years of austerity, followed by the economic impact of a global pandemic and an ongoing cost-of-living crisis, it reveals that poverty is rising dramatically in headline terms. But the rate at which it is deepening should be of real concern to all of us working in health and care.

“More people are now living in deep poverty than at any point in recent history, with destitution having doubled in less than a decade. Food insecurity has also surged, and people already managing poor health are disproportionately affected.

“For those of us working to minimise health inequalities and their impacts, this is not simply an abstract matter of policy. As the lived reality of the people we see in our work at Ways to Wellness every day, it has profound implications for the future of UK healthcare, especially in the midst of the 10-year plan from the NHS.”



Read more ⬇️

The findings of the ‘UK Poverty 2026’ report from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation are unsurprising yet shocking. In the wake of years of austerity, followed by the economic impact of a global pandemic and an ongoing cost-of-living crisis, it reveals that poverty is rising dramatically in headline...

04/03/2026

🥳 Join us on 26 March for Social Prescribing Day!

VONNE (Voluntary Organisations'​ Network North East) is hosting 'the Power of People: a celebration of social prescribing across the North East and North Cumbria'.

📅 26 March - 10am to noon
📍 Free online conference

Hear from:

➡️ Simon Bromhead, Head of Development at Ways to Wellness, speaking about our work supporting people with persistent physical symptoms and how this approach is being adapted to help people get closer to work.

➡️ Anna Basu, Clinical Senior Lecturer and Honorary Consultant Paediatric Neurologist, Population Health Sciences Institute, Faculty of Medical Sciences at Newcastle University, speaking about SPACE CYP (Social Prescribing And Community rEsources for Children and Young People) Pilot and how we support children with chronic complex needs and their families.

Sign up 🔗 https://www.vonne.org.uk/civicrm/event/info?reset=1&id=872

03/03/2026

Today's the day and it's shaping up to be an incredible event! Join us to hear the latest developments from our SPACE Pilot https://www.waystowellness.org.uk/space-pilot

23/02/2026

We're proud to have been featured in the World Health Organization (WHO)'s Unlocking funding for well-being, equity and healthy societies: primer.

Our long-term conditions project was highlighted as an innovative example of social impact bond (SIB) funding.

Ways to Wellness was pioneering in its funding approach as the world's first health service to combine social impact bond investment with a fully outcomes-based NHS contract. This model enabled the delivery of social prescribing at scale and identified £4.6 million of cumulative secondary care costs avoided over the first five years of the service.

🔗 Read the full primer: https://www.who.int/europe/publications/i/item/WHO-EURO-2026-12798-52572-81397

🔗 Learn more about the social impact bond funding and our journey: https://www.waystowellness.org.uk/our-journey

Publicaciones de la Organización Mundial de la Salud

20/02/2026

⚽ We’re excited that Northumberland FA is starting with the second cohort of Your Move next week.

What is Your Move?

➡️ 6-week inclusive football programme
️➡️ For young people aged 13–17 managing long-term or acute health conditions
️➡️ Designed for those who find participating in traditional football environments more difficult

Hear from the first cohort about the powerful difference Your Move made - improving confidence, wellbeing, and connection to the game.

📍 St Peter’s Sports Hub (3G pitch)
⏰ Tuesdays, 5:00–5:50 PM
📆 24 February

If you or someone you know is managing a long-term or acute health condition and would like to take the first steps back into football, sign up via the link below.

➡️ https://www.northumberlandfa.com/news/2026/feb/04/northumberland-fa-announces-second-cohort-of-your-move-following-successful-pilot

Your Move is delivered in partnership with Northumberland FA and Ways to Wellness, and supported by The FA Journey to Inclusion Fund.