- because improved health and wellbeing doesn't always come in a bottle or a pill.

Community SWITCH (Supporting Wellbeing, Improving the Community’s Health) is a programme of self-help and signposting services that empowers people to take charge of their health and wellbeing.

We recognise that good health extends beyond medical care.  Using Community SWITCH, our team of Social Prescribers and Care Co-ordinators work with patients on GP referral to connects them to community resources and self-help opportunities tailored to meet their unique needs, and helping them to improve their overall well-being and quality of life.  Individuals can also use the Community SWITCH website for self-help and to find resources that may meet their specific needs.

What makes SWITCH unique is that Patient Participation Group (PPG) members were heavily involved in the development of the programme and continue to identify and review the resources within the Crane Valley network.  Events and engagement brings together charities, community groups, the NHS, local government to connect and share resources.  This ensures that Community SWITCH caters to the needs of vulnerable populations such as older people, financially vulnerable individuals, and those with disabilities or living with chronic illnesses, ensuring that no one is left behind in their pursuit of good health.

A cornerstone of the PCN’s Community SWITCH initiative, is our work to bring together local groups, services, and partners to share information and explore how a collaborative approach can better support local health and wellbeing.

Learn more about our work here>>

GP Practices in our network offer the opportunity for patients to monitor their blood pressure at home and share their blood pressure readings directly back to their GP from home using the Viso app (previously known as Hypertension Plus).    

High blood pressure, or hypertension, rarely has noticeable symptoms. But if untreated, it increases your risk of serious problems such as heart attacks and strokes.

In line with NHS England recommendations, NHS Dorset is working in partnership with Omron Healthcare to implement blood pressure (BP) monitoring at home using the Viso app. 

The NHS App lets you book appointments, order repeat prescriptions and access a range of healthcare services quickly and securely using a mobile device.  

Find out more on our NHS App web page by following this link>>

The bowel cancer screening age has been lowered from 60 to 50 following a recommendation from the UK National Screening Committee.

The NHS offers people aged 50 to 74 home testing to detect signs of bowel cancer at an early stage when there are no symptoms.

We committed to saving lives by emphasizing the importance of early diagnosis in the fight against bowel cancer.

Find out more about why the NHS offers bowel cancer screening and how it works visit our Bowel Cancer Screening information page by following this link>>

Join our local Social Prescribing Team at one of our monthly Carer Afternoon Teas, and enjoy a friendly chat or receive useful support and advice.

All carers (and cared for) registered with any of the surgeries in our network are welcome! 

For more information, please call or text Rachel on 07462 521670, Kate on 07462 050616 or email cranevalleysocialprescribers@dorsetgp.nhs.uk

Each year approximately 1.6 million medicine items are wasted unnecessarily in Dorset.  We are asking patients in our network for help to reduce this.

We want people to have the right medicine and care while reducing the amount of medicine waste.

Find out more here>>