It is estimated that around 20% of GP appointments are for ‘non-medical’ needs, which is as frustrating for GPs as it is for patients, as a 10-minute consultation producing a medicine prescription is often not appropriate.
Social prescribing enables a GP or other healthcare professional to refer the patient to an organised scheme which usually involves link workers or navigators taking time to understand what the patients’ needs and goals are, and helps them to access an appropriate service. Those services are most commonly provided by local voluntary organisations.
Evidence base
There is a growing body of evidence that shows that social prescribing is effective for patients, but also produces significant cost benefits to the NHS and other public bodies. Read the review of evidence (pdf, 292KB) by the University of Westminster, 2017.
Join the network
Anyone with an interest in social prescribing as a commissioner, policy maker or practitioner can join the network by emailing socialprescribing@outlook.com.
Also, voluntary sector colleagues can contact us to receive occasional email updates.
More information
- Social prescribing toolkit (pdf, 1.3MB) (by the Social Prescribing Network) – produced in 2017 – is a comprehensive guide to setting up, delivering and evaluating social prescribing.
- More about social prescribing (The King’s Fund)
- Social Prescribing Network
- Bromley-by-Bow (east London) social prescribing scheme
- Rotherham social prescribing (Rotherham CCG)
- Evaluations of the Rotherham social prescribing scheme (Sheffield Hallam University)
- Connect Well Essex online tool for patients
- Healthy London Partnership social prescribing and self-care wiki – devised by NHS in London, but useful for anyone, an information resource on the application of social prescribing in supporting self-care.
