GPs to make football available on prescription for depression sufferers
The plans, drawn up by GP turned MP Dr Simon Opher (Stroud) and Mr Vince, will see patients at surgeries in Gloucestershire given the chance to attend games at National League side Forest Green Rovers.
Mr Vince has owned the club since 2010.
The initiative is part of a move by Dr Opher who has pioneered offering social prescribing to patients with mild or moderate depression instead of antidepressants.
Both comedy and gardening have previously been prescribed to patients by Dr Opher.
He said on average around four-in-five tend to stick with prescribed activities, with one of the main benefits of tackling loneliness.
Dr Opher told the PA news agency: 'I do think there's something about watching football which does give you a sense of community.
'I think one of the biggest problems in our society is social isolation.
'It's really quite toxic, actually, and it's created in the modern world by social media.
'Pubs aren't so popular, we don't get out as much, we don't live in extended families, so that is very bad for you.
'You can quantify it, it's the same health risk as smoking about 20 cigarettes a day. It's really bad.
'One of the things here is just getting people out and socialising.'
He added: 'Football isn't going to be for everyone. Nothing is, but we need a range of options.
'Football is about socialising and roaring on your team, getting excited, taking yourself out of your own life for a short while, and living through something else.'
Dr Opher has previously spoken about his concerns on the over prescription of antidepressants.
He said he does not believe they should be given to patients if they have moderate or mild symptoms.
The number of people of antidepressants rose by 2.1% last year, compared to 2022/23.
He said: 'If you've got severe depression then I would always recommend antidepressants, but a large majority of people have got what they call mild to moderate depression, and the tendency at the moment is to give them tablets, because there's no mental health support really, it can take six months to get it, and you feel like you need to do something.
'That's why we've got to a stage where we've got 8.7 million people on antidepressants, so we need to try something else.'
Patients at a dozen surgeries in the county near Forest Green's The New Lawn ground in Nailsworth will be given the chance to be referred to go to a game.
The initiative is planned to run for the whole season, beginning with the side's first home game against Yeovil Town on August 16.
The tickets are being donated for free by Forest Green.
There's no guarantee action on the pitch will lift the spirits of depression sufferers, as Forest Green suffered penalty heartbreak in the playoffs last season, losing to Southend.
Mr Vince bought the club in 2010, and has since turned them into the world's first vegan, and carbon-neutral football club.
Under his ownership the long-time non-league club reached League One, before suffering two back-to-back relegations.
Mr Vince is best known for founding green energy company Ecotricity. It has previously donated £5 million to the Labour Party.
He said: 'I think it'd be a great thing if football clubs up and down the country could reach out to people and do this.
'Men typically don't really talk about their issues, that's the thing, and you get loneliness and things like that as well.
'In my life I've had periods of my life where I've been a bit fed up, and excluded … a bit down from time to time, it's easy to spiral downwards when you're not in contact with people and I just wanted to do something with that.'
He added: 'Forest Green has been one of the best experiences of my life, and I'm keen to share that.'
Dr Opher's scepticism towards widespread antidepressant prescription came after he began his career as a GP in 1995.
'I'd started seeing there's a lot of people depressed out there, a lot of people with low mood, so I started putting a lot of them on antidepressants or referring them to mental health,' he said.
'Quite a few of them, one in four, maybe even more, would just come back no better, but with intractable problems.
'What I realised is that tablets didn't help them, we had nothing to help them.
'I thought we needed to try something different and do a different behaviour.'
He added: 'For the people it did work for, it was transformative, and also they got onto the next thing, they stopped coming to see me, which is a great sign.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
24 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Breakup Blues Are Fuelling a Surge in Hair Transplant Travel, Says Clinic Prime
British Men Are Quietly Booking Hair Transplants After Breakups — And Flying to Turkey to Do It LONDON, July 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Breakups hurt — but for a growing number of British men, the fix isn't a pint with the lads or a new tattoo. It's a fresh hairline. And they're flying to Turkey to get it done. Clinic Prime , a UK-focused cosmetic medical provider based in Istanbul, reports a sharp uptick in bookings from recently single men. These patients aren't just chasing aesthetics — they're seeking closure, control, and confidence. "We've heard it dozens of times now: 'I just split up, and it's time to do something for me,'" said Sam, UK Representative for Clinic Prime. "It's a quiet form of self-reinvention." Why Post-Breakup Hair Transplants? Relationship endings often trigger a desire for change — new routines, new goals, new hairlines. Clinic Prime says the pattern is clear: most of these men had never seriously considered a procedure until their breakup. Now, a growing number are opting for hair transplant Turkey services that offer medical precision at a fraction of the UK cost. Studies show that post-breakup life changes are common, especially among men in their 30s and 40s. For many, hair restoration is not just about regrowth — it's a way to reclaim identity and project renewed self-worth. Confidence, after all, starts at the top. Why British Patients Choose Clinic Prime With rising demand for expert-led, affordable cosmetic treatment abroad, Clinic Prime has become a top destination for UK patients looking for trustworthy results without the middlemen. Key advantages include: Free video consultations with English-speaking medical staff Fixed, transparent pricing — no upselling or hidden fees All-inclusive packages covering airport transfers, 5-star hotel stays, and aftercare FUE and DHI techniques with natural-looking, long-term results Excellent patient reviews across platforms like Trustpilot Clinic Prime's surgeons have performed thousands of successful procedures, operating to international clinical standards. Each treatment plan is fully bespoke, ensuring the final result matches the patient's goals, hair type, and face shape. A Fresh Start — Without the Premium Price Tag A comparable procedure on Harley Street or in Mayfair can cost upwards of £8,000. In Turkey, that same level of surgical expertise — often with the same equipment and global certifications — starts at less than half the price. "It's not about cutting corners," Sam explains. "It's about cutting through the fluff." And while cosmetic tourism can be risky, Clinic Prime offers something different: no brokers, no upsells, no vague WhatsApp chats — just direct, patient-first care with clinical transparency. Ready for a New Chapter? For many men, a breakup is the push they didn't know they needed. "They leave with a new look, but more importantly, with a renewed sense of who they are," says Sam. To book a consultation or explore treatment packages, visit . Media Contact: Clinic Prime Media Teampress@ Clinic Prime is a leading medical aesthetics and hair transplant clinic based in Istanbul, Turkey. Known for its advanced technology, personalised care, and internationally accredited doctors, Clinic Prime provides high-quality treatments to patients from across the UK and beyond. Photo - - View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Clinic Prime Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
NHS trust investigates after ‘unnecessary delay' for thousands of patients
An NHS trust has identified 8,849 patients whose referrals to ear, nose and throat (ENT) specialists were 'not correctly managed', leading to 'unnecessary' delays in care. The patients were waiting for ENT appointments provided by Medway NHS Foundation Trust (MNFT) operating out of Medway Maritime Hospital in Gillingham and Darent Valley Hospital in Dartford. The trust said it was 'very sorry' for the delays caused to patients and has commissioned an independent investigation. Some 4,279 adults and children were awaiting a first outpatient appointment after a referral, while 4,570 existing patients were awaiting a follow-up appointment, diagnostic test or procedure. Approximately 20% of those affected are children, and a few patients have waited as much as five years to be seen, the trust confirmed. Jonathan Wade, chief executive of Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust and interim chief executive of Medway NHS Foundation Trust, said: 'We are very sorry for the unnecessary delay experienced by some of our ENT patients. 'We are in the process of contacting patients to apologise and make arrangements for them to be seen as quickly as possible.' The delays affected patients predominantly in the Dartford, Gravesham, Swanley, Bexley and Greenwich areas. When these referrals were first received, they were reviewed by a clinician and assessed as routine, meaning that no urgent concerns, such as cancer, were identified at the time, the trust has said. Mr Wade continued: 'We have taken immediate action to ensure referrals to this service are correctly managed, with stronger oversight and improved systems in place. 'A full, independent investigation has been commissioned to understand how the error occurred and if anyone has come to harm as a result of these unnecessary delays. 'We are committed to learning from this so that it does not happen again.' MNFT declined to comment on whether the commissioned investigation has begun, and how long it will take.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Mother and daughter found dead months after 999 call ‘missed opportunity'
A 999 call made by a mother who was later found dead along with her 'entirely dependent' daughter led to no ambulance being sent despite the call handler being given their address and postcode, an inquest has heard. Nottingham Coroner's Court was told Alphonsine Djiako Leuga, 47, suffered from sickle cell anaemia and died from pneumonia, while her 18-year-old daughter Loraine Choulla had learning difficulties and Down's syndrome and relied on her mother for food and hydration. A inquest into the deaths, expected to last for five days, began on Monday with assistant coroner Amanda Bewley hearing that Ms Leuga called 999 three months before her body was found, telling a call hander she was cold and could not move. The hearing was told that during the call, made shortly after 1pm on February 2 last year, Ms Leuga groaned, requested an ambulance and said 'I need help to my daughter' and 'I'm in the bed, I feel cold and can't move' before cutting off the line. She also gave details of her address in Hartley Road, Radford, Nottingham, where her body and that of her daughter were found on May 21 last year. Giving evidence to the inquest, East Midlands Ambulance Service's head of patient safety, Susan Jevons said the call handler, an emergency medical adviser, should have referred the call to the control room despatch officers. Ms Jevons said attempts had been made to call Ms Leuga back, but she told the inquest: 'The call should have been left for an ambulance to attend once we had got the address, which we had. 'The ambulance didn't go to the address because the emergency medical adviser, thinking it was an abandoned call, closed the call down. 'So it wasn't visible to anybody within the emergency operations centre.' The coroner told Ms Jevons she would have to consider the possibility that sending an ambulance to the address 'might have been the difference between life or death' for Loraine. The inquest was told that Ms Leuga was admitted to hospital for a blood transfusion in late January last year as she was critically ill with very low iron levels, and was given a 'pragmatic' discharge linked to her daughter's care needs. The coroner asked Ms Jevons whether, if she found at the end of the inquest that Loraine had died after her mother, there had been a 'missed opportunity' in relation to the teenager's death. Ms Jevons responded: 'Yes, there was a missed opportunity for an ambulance to attend Alphonsine when she requested one.' Earlier, pathologist Dr Stuart Hamilton told the hearing by video-link that the mother and daughter were both likely to have been dead for 'weeks to months' before they were found, rather than for days or hours. Dr Hamilton said his initial cause of death following a post-mortem examination on Ms Leuga was pneumonia of uncertain cause, while her daughter's cause of death could not be established. Answering questions from the coroner, the pathologist said he could not rule out that Ms Leuga had died on the day of the 999 call. The body of Loraine, who the inquest was told was 'entirely dependent on her mother to meet her hydration and nutritional needs', showed no evidence of any third party involvement. Dr Hamilton said of the teenager: 'Unfortunately, based on the post-mortem examination and additional tests alone, it is my view that the cause of death is classed as unascertained – that is, I am not able to give a cause of death on the balance of probabilities.' Asked to comment on the possibility that Loraine's death may have been because of dehydration or malnutrition, Dr Hamilton answered: 'There is nothing in my findings that say any of that is incorrect.' Loraine was more likely to have died from dehydration than malnutrition, the witness said, if it was accepted that she 'wasn't able to make the decision to drink water' because of her difficulties. The inquest continues.
