Luton GP practices support men’s mental health through comedy event
‘Comedy on Prescription’ is organised by local NHS Primary Care Networks (PCNs) and men’s mental health support
GP Practices across Luton are supporting men’s mental health through a comedy event which is set to take place tonight.
‘Comedy on Prescription’ is organised by local NHS Primary Care Networks (PCNs) and men’s mental health support group, X-4RCE CIC which is based in Luton.
PCN's are groups of local GP practices working together with a number of services to provide more proactive, personalised, and integrated care.
The event tonight includes live music performances, real stories, and comedy – with former Luton Town player and manager Mick Harford as a special guest.
Elaine O’Sullivan, Project Lead at eQuality PCN said: “We often don't see people in a GP surgery until things have got quite bad. So, to try and get people to come to us earlier before things reach crisis point, is really what we're looking to do.”
“We'd much rather give people prescriptions that don't always involve drugs. Obviously, sometimes that is necessary, but there are cases where we can help people before that isn't actually required.
“The earlier we catch mental health, we know the more effective it can be to resolving problems.”
Wade Wilson, CEO of X-4RCE CIC, a local men’s mental health support group, said: “There's a stigma that gets applied to men a lot, which is that men don't talk. It's factually not true. It's not that men don't talk, it's that men don't have spaces to talk in. So, when you provide them with the spaces, you find that men do talk.
“By having events like this, it highlights things that groups like mine are doing. It provides men with that first access point rather than going to the doctors and getting on prescription drugs. Instead, we're looking at more holistic ways to help.”
Mr Wilson also says, “to sort of mock the thing that scares you is what we do in the UK”.
Adding: “Not to say that we should be making fun of traumatic situations, but to show some of the struggles that people go through and find humour in that, we can actually make the shadow that is cast a little bit smaller.”