Abstract
Social prescribing fits a number of policy, practice, and system development in England well; from the move towards Personalised Care, to changes in commissioning arrangements. On top of this, significant investment was made in rolling out the link worker model of social prescribing and the last decade has seen this approach integrated more into English health systems than anywhere in the world. In this chapter, we chart the health and policy history that led to ‘modern’ social prescribing, the roll out of the link worker role through the NHS, and how practice has matched the intention. We will draw on practical examples to explore the benefits, tensions, and occasional drawbacks of social prescribing in the English context. We will also look at the key organisations, actors, and processes for delivering social prescribing, as they are understood in the English situation.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
All-Party Parliamentary Group on Arts, H. a. W. (2017). Creative health: The arts for health and wellbeing. Retrieved from London:
Bertotti, M., Frostick, C., & Temirov, O. (2020). An evaluation of social prescribing in the London Borough of Redbridge: Final Evaluation Report. Retrieved from London:
Bertotti, M., Hayes, D., Berry, V., Jarvis-Beesley, P., & Husk, K. (2022). Social prescribing for children and young people. The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health, 6(12), 835–837. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2352-4642(22)00248-6
Cartwright, L., Burns, L., Akinyemi, O., Carder-Gilbert, H., Tierney, S., Elston, J., Chatterjee, H. [On behalf of the NASP Academic Partners Collaborative]. (2022). Who is and isn’t being referred to social prescribing? Retrieved from London: https://socialprescribingacademy.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Evidence-summary-social-prescribing-referral-.pdf
Culture, H. W. A. (2023). All-party parliamentary group on arts, health and wellbeing. Retrieved from https://www.culturehealthandwellbeing.org.uk/who-we-are/appg
Department for Environment, F. R. A. (2020). New sites to test how connecting people with nature can improve mental health. Retrieved from https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-sites-to-test-how-connecting-people-with-nature-can-improve-mental-health
Department of Health and Social Care. (2018). Social prescribing schemes to be funded by the health and wellbeing fund: 2018. Retrieved from https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/social-prescribing-schemes-to-be-funded-by-the-health-and-wellbeing-fund-2018
Department of Health and Social Care. (2019). Social prescribing: New national academy set up. Retrieved from https://www.gov.uk/government/news/social-prescribing-new-national-academy-set-up
Durie, R., & Wyatt, K. (2013). Connecting communities and complexity: A case study in creating the conditions for transformational change. Critical Public Health, 23(2), 174–187. https://doi.org/10.1080/09581596.2013.781266
Featherstone, C., Sharpe, R. A., Axford, N., Asthana, S., & Husk, K. (2022). Health and wellbeing outcomes and social prescribing pathways in community-based support for autistic adults: A systematic mapping review of reviews. Health & Social Care in the Community, 30(3), e621–e635. https://doi.org/10.1111/hsc.13635
Garside, R., Orr, N., Short, R., Lovell, R., Husk, K., McEachan, R., Rashid, R., & Dickie, I. (2020). Therapeutic nature: Nature-based social prescribing for diagnosed mental health conditions in the UK. Retrieved from London:
Garven, F., McLean, J., & Pattoni, L. (2016). Asset-based approaches: Their rise, role and reality. Dunedin Academic Press.
Hazeldine, E., Gowan, G., Wigglesworth, R., Pollard, J., Asthana, S., & Husk, K. (2021). Link worker perspectives of early implementation of social prescribing: A ‘researcher-in-residence’ study. Health & Social Care in the Community. https://doi.org/10.1111/hsc.13295
Husk, K., Lovell, R., Cooper, C., Stahl-Timmins, W., & Garside, R. (2016). Participation in environmental enhancement and conservation activities for health and well-being in adults: A review of quantitative and qualitative evidence. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 5. https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD010351.pub2
Husk, K., Elston, J., Gradinger, F., Callaghan, L., & Asthana, S. (2019). Social prescribing: Where is the evidence? British Journal of General Practice, 69(678), 6. https://doi.org/10.3399/bjgp19X700325
Husk, K., Blockley, K., Lovell, R., Bethel, A., Lang, I., Byng, R., & Garside, R. (2020). What approaches to social prescribing work, for whom, and in what circumstances? A realist review. Health & Social Care in the Community, 28(2), 309–324. https://doi.org/10.1111/hsc.12839
Jani, A., Liyanage, H., Okusi, C., Sherlock, J., & de Lusignan, S. (2020). Social prescribing observatory: A learning health system approach for using data to improve practice. Retrieved from London: : https://orchid.phc.ox.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/FINAL-Social-prescribing-observatory-report.pdf
Kramer, S., Amos, T., Lazarus, S., & Seedat, M. (2012). The philosophical assumptions, utility and challenges of asset mapping approaches to community engagement. Journal of Psychology in Africa, 22(4), 537–544. https://doi.org/10.1080/14330237.2012.10820565
Morse, D. F., Sandhu, S., Mulligan, K., Tierney, S., Polley, M., Chiva Giurca, B., et al. (2022). Global developments in social prescribing. BMJ Global Health, 7(5), e008524. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjgh-2022-008524
Muhl, C. A.-O., Mulligan, K. A.-O., Bayoumi, I. A.-O., Ashcroft, R. A.-O., & Godfrey, C. A.-O. (2023). Establishing internationally accepted conceptual and operational definitions of social prescribing through expert consensus: a delphi study protocol. (1568–4156 (Print)).
National Academy for Social Prescribing. (2023a). APPG on health and natural environment. Retrieved from https://socialprescribingacademy.org.uk/our-work/appg-on-health-natural-environment/
National Academy for Social Prescribing. (2023b). Our Academic Partners. Retrieved from https://socialprescribingacademy.org.uk/evidence-on-social-prescribing/our-academic-partners/
National Academy for Social Prescribing. (2023c). We are the National Academy for social prescribing. Retrieved from https://socialprescribingacademy.org.uk/about-us/
National Academy for Social Prescribing. (2023d). What is social prescribing? Retrieved from https://socialprescribingacademy.org.uk/what-is-social-prescribing/
National Association of Link Workers. (2023). Professional body for social prescribing link workers. Retrieved from https://www.nalw.org.uk/about-us/
National Institute for Health and Care Research. (2022). Award NIHR134066, Multi-region (and multi-level) evaluation of the roll out of social prescribing link workers in primary care. Retrieved from https://fundingawards.nihr.ac.uk/award/NIHR134066
NHS England. (2014). NHS Five Year Forward View. Retrieved from London
NHS England. (2016). General practice forward view. Retrieved from England: https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/gpfv.pdf
NHS England. (2018). The NHS long term plan. Retrieved from London
NHS England. (2019). Universal personalised care. Retrieved from London.
NHS England. (2023). Expanding our workforce. Retrieved from https://www.england.nhs.uk/gp/expanding-our-workforce/
Pescheny, J. V., Pappas, Y., & Randhawa, G. (2018). Facilitators and barriers of implementing and delivering social prescribing services: A systematic review. MC Health Services Research, 18(1), 1–14.
Russell, C. (2017). Social prescribing, a panacea or another top-down programme? Part 1. Retrieved from https://www.nurturedevelopment.org/blog/abcd-approach/social-prescribing-panacea-another-top-programme-part-1/
Russell, C. (2020). Rekindling democracy. Cascade Books.
South, J. (2015). A guide to community-centred approaches for health and wellbeing: Full report. Retrieved from London
South, J., & Stansfield, J. (2023). Asset-based public health – Shifting evidence and practice. Retrieved from https://www.local.gov.uk/asset-based-public-health-shifting-evidence-and-practice
The Social Prescribing Network. (2016). What is social prescribing? Retrieved from https://www.socialprescribingnetwork.com/about
Tierney, S., Wong, G., Roberts, N., Boylan, A.-M., Park, S., Abrams, R., et al. (2020). Supporting social prescribing in primary care by linking people to local assets: A realist review. BMC Medicine, 18(1), 49. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12916-020-1510-7
Tierney, S., Potter, C., Eccles, K., Akinyemi, O., Gorenberg, J., Libert, S., et al. (2022). Social prescribing for older people and the role of the cultural sector during the COVID-19 pandemic: What are link workers’ views and experiences? Health & Social Care in the Community, 30(6), e5305–e5313. https://doi.org/10.1111/hsc.13949
Westlake, D., Elston, J., Gradinger, F., Gude, A., Husk, K., & Asthana, S. (2021). Impact of Covid-19 on social prescribing in Devon – Final report. Retrieved from Plymouth: https://www.plymouth.ac.uk/uploads/production/document/path/21/21183/DESSPER_-_Impact_of_Covid_19_on_Social_Prescribing_in_Devon_-_Final_report_v2_19.08.21_notes_pages.pdf
Westlake, D., Elston, J., Gude, A., Gradinger, F., Husk, K., & Asthana, S. (2022). Impact of COVID-19 on social prescribing across an integrated care system: A researcher in residence study. Health & Social Care in the Community. https://doi.org/10.1111/hsc.13802
Acknowledgments
This report is an independent research supported by the National Institute for Health and Care Research Applied Research Collaboration South West Peninsula. The views expressed in this publication are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the National Institute for Health and Care Research or the Department of Health and Social Care.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2024 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Husk, K., Sanderson, J. (2024). Social Prescribing in England. In: Bertotti, M. (eds) Social Prescribing Policy, Research and Practice. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-52106-5_2
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-52106-5_2
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-031-52105-8
Online ISBN: 978-3-031-52106-5
eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)