Ways to Wellness UK

18/06/2026

How do we engage all the actors who shape people’s lives?

After attending the Insights North East Conference 2026 last week, Jule Coulson reflected on who was in the room and who wasn’t.

“Themed around powering policy for long-term transformation, conversations about centring citizens’ voices in the implementation of innovation to help reduce inequalities and further the NHS mission towards prevention, were rich and thoughtful.

Yet there appeared to be relatively little representation from the private sector, either on stage or among attendees.

“The reality is that most people spend far more time interacting with employers, shops, transport networks, housing providers and digital platforms than they do with health services or the politicians shaping them.”

How can we begin to create spaces where these perspectives can question and strengthen one another?

Read more ➡️ https://www.waystowellness.org.uk/newsblogs/voices-we-heard-and-those-we-didnt

“Conversations about centring citizen’s voices in the implementation of innovation to help reduce inequalities and further the NHS mission towards prevention, were rich and thoughtful…”, writes our Head of Communications and Marketing Jule Coulson, who represented our senior leadership team ...

16/06/2026

Last week, our specialist link workers had the opportunity to take part in domestic abuse training delivered by Newcastle Integrated Domestic Abuse Service (NIDAS), part of Changing Lives.

NIDAS supports anyone experiencing domestic abuse, providing a safe environment and specialist services that aim to reduce the long-term risk of violence.

Because our link workers regularly support people in vulnerable situations, this kind of training is invaluable. Understanding how to recognise potential signs of , and knowing what services are available, means our team can better connect people to the right support.

A huge thank you to NIDAS for such an informative and important session.

15/06/2026

Today, we are kicking off our ‘Telling the story of your social prescribing impact using data’ workshops at One Strawberry Lane in Newcastle!

We are teaching social prescribing link workers or associated staff members how to:

✅ understand their data
✅ consider the data they might want to collect
✅ explore how to present their outcomes for maximum impact.

If you are interested in taking part, you can join us on either:

📅 6 August – Acklam Green Centre, Middlesborough
📅 19 August - The People First Conference Centre, Carlisle
📅 21 August – The Durham Centre, Durham

We will also be releasing online dates soon.

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

This training is funded by the EPSRC and Northern Health Futures (NortHFutures) Hub.

Book a date before they fill up ➡️ https://forms.office.com/e/gTLgeS2NAd

12/06/2026

Our CEO, Sandra Mitchell-Phillips, attended this week, where there were many lively conversations about the changing landscape.

The importance of neighbourhood health was a theme throughout, with some standout talking points:

➡️ Health is a shared mission. Improving population health benefits everyone, but it takes genuine commitment and strong partnerships to make it happen.

➡️ Birmingham shows how embedding VCSE from the start can improve community health. The city is working towards becoming a Marmot City with an anchor organisation leading in each locality.

➡️ Sir Jim Mackey, Chief Executive Officer at NHS England, acknowledged real progress on the 10-year plan, while being clear that there's still significant work ahead. He called for ‘massive impact’ over the coming year with a focus on neighbourhood health.

At Ways to Wellness, we firmly believe that supporting people in their local communities is key to improving overall outcomes, but funding flows will need to change to support this.

11/06/2026

🎤 Simon Bromhead and Sonia Townend represented Ways to Wellness today at the Northern Health Futures (NortHFutures) Public Showcase, hosted at Newcastle University.

The event celebrated the research and training initiatives funded through the Northern Health Futures (NortHFutures) Hub.

We were proud to receive funding to develop training for social prescribers and associated staff across the and , helping them use to demonstrate their impact.

At Ways to Wellness, data and evaluation are a vital part of our work. As a test-and-learn organisation, we use data to show that projects demonstrate real-world impact.

We want to share this approach so organisations across the region can evidence their impact, strengthen the case for , and show how it can tackle health inequalities and reduce demand on NHS services.

If you are interested in taking part, we will be releasing new in-person dates for the training next week, so watch this space.

08/06/2026

What happens when we put neighbourhood health and community at the heart of ?

Our CEO Sandra Mitchell-Phillips joined Dr Deepak Ravindran on his Pain Speak podcast to talk about how social prescribing approaches can reduce health inequalities, support preoperative care to improve outcomes and reduce costs.

Dr Ravindran is a full-time NHS Consultant specialising in Pain, Anaesthesia, MSK and Lifestyle Medicine, and his podcast is an open and honest discussion to help find solutions to complex problems.

🎧 Listen to the episode: 'Neighbourhood Health and Community Care: A New Model for NHS Success' 🔗 https://www.buzzsprout.com/817123/episodes/19245824-neighborhood-health-and-community-care-a-new-model-for-nhs-success

Health starts in communities, not just hospitals.In todays epsiode, I  explore innovative social prescribing approaches with Sandra Mitchell-Phillips, CEO of Ways to Wellness, focusing on neighborhood health, reducing health inequalities, and...

05/06/2026

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

We have released the in-person dates for our free one-day workshops to teach social prescribing link workers or associated staff members how to:

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

Join us either:

📅 Monday 15 June – One Strawberry Lane, Newcastle upon Tyne
📅 Wednesday 17 June – The Acklam Green Centre, Stainsby Road, Middlesborough
📅 Friday 19 June – The Durham Centre, Belmont Industrial Estate, Durham
📅 Wednesday 24 June – The People’s first Centre, Milbourne Street, Carlisle, Cumbria

We will also be releasing online dates soon.

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

Book a date before they fill up ➡️ https://forms.cloud.microsoft/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=6EOqWhuJJ0WktIBut4Sdw_nNEPIQfEBFjqtiK9Ymnt5UODlRTDJDM0ZCVkszUFc2REZKTUpQWUg5Ty4u&route=shorturl

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

04/06/2026

🎉 It's Volunteers' Week, and we're shining a spotlight on the organisations where our staff give their time.

Today, we're highlighting the incredible work of Coquet Trust, where our Head of Finance, Sarah Turner, serves as chair of their trustees.

Coquet Trust was set up in 1995 to provide support to people with a learning disability to enable them to live as independently as possible. They believe the people they support should live a full and meaningful life where they are listened to and valued.

They offer a range of services, including:

✅ Individual Service Fund (or ISF) so a person (or their representative) can manage their personal budget.
✅ Short breaks allowing people the opportunity to have fun, share experiences, and learn new skills.
✅ Supported living for people in their own home.
✅ Carer support.

Find out more 🔗 https://coquettrust.org.uk/

Coquet Trust provide support and health and social care to adults with learning disabilities in Newcastle, North Tyneside and Northumberland.

02/06/2026

🎉 It's Volunteers' Week, and we want to spotlight organisations where our staff volunteer.

Today, we are highlighting Papyrus, where our Head of Communications and Marketing, Jule Coulson, helps to raise awareness of their work.

PAPYRUS Prevention of Young Su***de works to prevent young su***de, from being there in a crisis, to training the people around young people, to shaping the policies that affect their lives.

Young people can access their 24/7 Hopeline, and there is a wide range of training and resources to help build skills and confidence to help keep young people safe from su***de.

Find out more https://www.papyrus-uk.org/

***dePrevention

Papyrus is a young person's su***de prevention charity. We provide urgent support through HopeLine 24/7, training, campaigns and conversations that save…

01/06/2026

🎉 It's Volunteers' Week, and we're shining a spotlight on the organisations where our staff give their time.

Today, we are highlighting The North East Ukulele Project, co-founded by our Head of Development, Simon Bromhead.

🎶 The North East Ukulele Project aims to tackle loneliness, promote wellbeing and build communities by encouraging music-making for all. They work with schools and community groups across the region to make music accessible to everyone.

Want to give the ukulele a go? They're hosting two free workshops this week at Tyne Derwent Way at Dunston Staiths as part of the National Trust for the Festival of Blossom:

📆 Thursday, 4 June, 3:30pm – Children and families
📆 Saturday, 6 June, 10am – Teenagers and adults

Sign up ➡️ https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/94488994183

Find out more about the North East Ukulele Project ➡️ https://ukuleleproject.co.uk/projects/north-east-ukulele-project/

Get away without going away, down the Tyne Derwent Way. Gateshead's green getaway connects our urban communities to our beautiful countryside, and our past to our present and our future. The trail showcases Gateshead's nature, heritage and culture. It's a nine-mile route for walking, cycling, runni....