Ways to Wellness

Key info

  • Focus area

    Social outcomes
  • Asset class

    Social Outcomes Contract
  • Region

    North East
  • Duration

    7 years
  • Investment amount

    £1.65 million
  • Cost of capital

    Outcomes contract
  • Challenge

    The west of Newcastle-upon-Tyne is one of the most deprived areas in England. People from disadvantaged backgrounds are more likely to suffer with long-term health conditions, typically with an earlier onset. These people have poorer health outcomes and consume more health service resources.

  • Approach

    Ways to Wellness adds to and complements medical support through social prescribing: patients are helped to manage their long-term conditions through one-to-one support and given access to community based activities such as becoming more active, learning to eat and cook more healthily or getting back to work.

  • Revenue model

    Ways to Wellness is funded through an outcomes contract. Repayments to investors are governed by a “payments-by-results” contract with the Newcastle Gateshead Clinical Commissioning Group, calculated on the basis of long-term savings through reduced use of hospital services.

  • Impact

    Over the seven-year outcomes contract, more than 11,000 people will benefit. The success of the programme will be measured by an improvement in patient wellbeing, reductions in hospital visits, hospital admissions and the length of hospital stays.

After 10 years’ success, as of 18 July 2025, this project is closed following a withdrawal in funding. However, the learning from it provided the foundation upon which Ways to Wellness was able to build its varied current prototypes. Find out more about the work it continues to do.

Aman Johal

Managing Director, Policy & Advocacy (On Secondment)

Talk to me about:

Social outcomes contracts

You may also be interested in