Applied Physiology for PCNs & Social Prescribing
Helping people feel calmer, clearer and more capable, while easing pressure on primary care.
Many people referred into Social Prescribing are living with:
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ongoing stress and emotional overload
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disrupted sleep and low daily capacity
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MSK tension and fatigue
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difficulty taking in information or taking the next step
These experiences often sit beneath clinical thresholds, yet they strongly affect functioning and engagement.
Small Shifts strengthens the internal capacity needed for people to participate more fully in support, community resources and personalised care.
What We Offer
A simple, physiology-first pathway built around three stages.
Inspire
Live sessions where people feel a shift in real time.
Short, guided sessions use simple breath and micro-movement tools to ease tension and reduce overwhelm. People get a felt experience of settling their system, alongside clear, simple explanations of what’s changing. Each session offers a tool they can use straight away.
Train
Practical training for Social Prescribing teams.
We teach Link Workers, Health Coaches and Care Coordinators straightforward physiology tools they can use in everyday appointments to help people settle, regulate and engage. Training is simple, safe and focused on real situations, supporting both patient progress and staff wellbeing.
Sustain
Ongoing support that helps change take root.
Participants receive personalised daily plans, guided audios and clear information to help them use the tools day to day. Social Prescribing teams gain continued access to resources and support to embed short practices into routine care, helping the benefits continue over time.
For people with ongoing stress, sleep disruption, tension or low capacity who feel overwhelmed or dysregulated, and find it difficult to engage with existing support pathways.
A flexible pathway designed for primary care
Alongside our core programme, we offer a flexible range of options for PCNs and Social Prescribing teams.
Group Sessions
4–8-week groups to help people settle their systems, ease tension, sleep better and manage daily demands.
1:1 Support
For individuals experiencing overwhelm, fatigue, MSK discomfort or reduced daily capacity, including those who find groups difficult.
Training for SP Teams
Practical tools Link Workers, Health Coaches and Care Coordinators can use during appointments to help people settle, regulate and engage.
Staff wellbeing
Short, accessible sessions for primary care teams focused on stress, clarity and day-to-day functioning.
Programme Content
A 4–8 session series covering:
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breathing physiology & COâ‚‚ tolerance
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emotional chemistry
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nervous system regulation
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interoception & early stress signals
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focus & performance states
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resilience under load
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sleep physiology
Each session includes practical tools, small amounts of science and space to understand personal patterns.
Why a Physiology-First Approach Works
A clearer look at why many people struggle to engage with support, and how Small Shifts helps rebuild the capacity needed for change.
Primary care is increasingly supporting people whose difficulties are not medical but still have a significant impact on daily life. Many present with ongoing stress, disrupted sleep, fatigue, MSK discomfort and emotional overload. These experiences sit beneath diagnostic thresholds yet continue to stretch already pressured systems.
When someone is overwhelmed, exhausted or not sleeping well, it becomes harder to absorb information, follow advice or make changes. Their body simply doesn’t have the capacity needed for new habits to take hold.
Small Shifts offers a physiology-first approach that helps people settle their bodies, release tension, regulate stress, improve sleep and rebuild daily capacity. Through short, practical breath and micro-movement tools, we provide a gentle, non-clinical intervention suited to high-pressure lives, complex social stressors, neurodiversity, chronic stress, pain and fatigue.
By supporting the systems that regulate stress, breathing, sleep, MSK tension and daily energy, people gain the steadiness needed for clearer thinking, more balanced emotions and more consistent self-management. This enables them to engage more fully with Social Prescribing, health coaching, personalised care planning, WorkWell and wider community support.
How Small Shifts Fits the NHS Personalised Care Model
Strengthening Social Prescribing and Supported Self-Management.
Small Shifts aligns with NHS England’s Personalised Care Model by supporting two core components: Social Prescribing and Supported Self-Management.
Within Social Prescribing, we offer a non-clinical, personalised intervention that helps people regulate stress, ease MSK tension, improve sleep and build the internal capacity needed to participate in community support. This gives link workers a practical option for people whose difficulties sit below clinical thresholds but still affect day-to-day life.
Within Supported Self-Management, we provide simple, repeatable tools that help people understand and manage their stress response, breathing, energy and recovery. These practices strengthen stability, confidence and activation, the foundations of personalised planning and shared decision-making.
By working at the point where stress, tension and reduced capacity limit engagement, Small Shifts fills a gap between clinical intervention and community support. Our approach strengthens prevention, early intervention and more consistent participation in personalised care.
Our Impact
Our work has been independently evaluated in partnership with an NHS Trust and the South West Clinical School. The 2025 study explored how a physiology-first approach to staff wellbeing affects stress, sleep and day-to-day functioning in a demanding NHS environment.
The evaluation showed:
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significant reductions in staff stress
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meaningful improvements in sleep
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greater ability to cope with daily pressures
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strongest benefits in short, face-to-face sessions
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high ratings for accessibility and ease of integration
Staff described the tools as simple, practical and easy to use within the realities of clinical work.
Referral Pathway
Our referral process is simple and easy to use. It fits smoothly into primary care and supports people experiencing stress, poor sleep, MSK discomfort, fatigue or difficulty coping with daily demands.
Find out more
About Small Shifts
Small Shifts was founded by Lucy Stuart, a specialist in mental and physical wellbeing with extensive experience in behaviour change, exercise science and stress physiology. Lucy has worked across NHS, community and corporate settings, including six years in acute mental health services as an exercise therapist, delivering trauma-informed, evidence-based breath and movement programmes that help people feel calmer, clearer and better able to function in daily life.
The Small Shifts approach is grounded in empathy, research and real-world experience. All staff are trained Mental Health First Aiders, trauma-informed, safeguarding-trained and fully insured.
Experience a Small Shift
PCN and Social Prescribing teams can explore the Small Shifts model through a free 45-minute taster session. This session offers a direct experience of the tools and the immediate sense of ease they create, helping teams understand how the approach supports patients and pathways.
The easiest way to understand Small Shifts is to feel it.
A Scalable and Sustainable Model
Small Shifts operates through a combined Ltd and Community Interest Company structure. This allows us to support both frontline staff and local communities while ensuring access, affordability and alignment with system priorities.
Revenue from organisational programmes helps subsidise community delivery, expanding access for people who may not otherwise receive support. Insights from community work feed back into the system, strengthening commissioning and local decision-making.
The result is a practical, cost-effective model that supports prevention, eases pressure on services and builds capacity across the wider system.
Zara, Health & Wellbeing
Cornwall Partnership NHS Foundation
"This programme had some of the highest engagement we’ve seen across the Trust. Staff in high-pressure clinical roles made time to learn new skills, and many reported feeling better able to manage stress and stay present during demanding days. By the end, they were recommending the sessions to colleagues and keen to use the techniques with patients and peers."
Amanda, Physiotherapist
Cornwall Partnership NHS FoundationÂ
This course was truly inspiring. The techniques gave me a clearer understanding of how breathwork can support stress and anxiety, and applying them in practice made an immediate difference. I’ve felt calmer, more balanced, and better able to stay focused during busy days. It’s now part of my daily routine. A powerful experience that has strengthened my wellbeing and the way I work.
Start the Conversation
Get in touch if you’d like to explore how Small Shifts can support you or your community with simple, practical tools that build clarity, calm, and capacity in everyday life.
