Omagh Forum for Rural Associations (OFRA) Social Prescribing Solution

Omagh Forum for Rural Associations (OFRA) established the Omagh Healthy Living Network (OHL) to target primary care patients through a social prescribing model. The organisation identified a critical need for a centralised digital solution to manage social prescribing referrals, client journeys, wellbeing outcomes, programme participation, and reporting. Existing administrative processes relied heavily on paper forms, Word documents, spreadsheets, and staff knowledge, resulting in duplication of effort and significant reporting challenges. The agreed STRIDE project explored affordable digital solutions and ultimately conducted proof-of-concept testing to show how a secure, GDPR-compliant system could support their needs effectively.

A 1-day Design Thinking workshop was held on 11 February 2026, attended by 8 OFRA staff, management, and board members. Through the co-design process, stakeholders collaboratively defined requirements for a system that supports social prescribing, programme management, wellbeing monitoring, and signposting. A key workshop output was identifying the need for a searchable directory of local services, tutors, facilitators, and venues.

Deliverables

STRIDE deliverables included:

• A proof-of-concept for a digital case management and social prescribing platform using an affordable SaaS system.
• Digital forms and surveys to facilitate client referrals, wellbeing monitoring, and equality tracking.
• Reporting tools to track attendance, programme participation, and outcome measurement.
• Establishment of the structural requirements for a searchable directory of local services and venues.
• Integrate an online newsletter to support continued engagement.

The proof-of-concept successfully demonstrated how client referrals, wellbeing monitoring, attendance tracking, and programme management could be digitized effectively within realistic budget constraints (approx. £30 per month).
The platform empowers the programme administrator and monitoring officer to simplify the sending of letters, reminders, and overall case management workflows. By centralizing the data digitally, the organization has drastically reduced the risk of information loss and enhanced its readiness for future digital implementation. Ultimately, this digital approach significantly improves the organization’s ability to capture accurate health outcomes and evidence their impact for funders.