Social prescribing is a key component of Universal Personalized Care. It is an approach that connects people to activities, groups, and services in their community to meet the practical, social and emotional needs that affect their health and wellbeing.
In social prescribing, local agencies such as local charities, social care and health services refer people to a social prescribing link worker. Social prescribing link workers give people time, focusing on ‘what matters to me?’ to coproduce a simple personalized care and support plan, and support people to take control of their health and wellbeing.
Social prescribing link workers also support existing community groups to be accessible and sustainable, and help people to start new groups, working collaboratively with all local partners.
Social prescribing is an all-age, whole population approach that works particularly well for people who:
• have one or more long term conditions
• who need support with low level mental health issues
• who are lonely or isolated
• who have complex social needs which affect their wellbeing.
Social prescribing complements other approaches in a local area such as active signposting, where existing staff in local agencies provide information to signpost people to services, using local knowledge and resource directories.
Social prescribing enables all local agencies to refer people to a link worker. Link workers give people time and focus on what matters to the person as identified through shared decision making or personalized care and support planning. They connect people to community groups and agencies for practical and emotional support.
Link workers collaborate with local partners to help community groups be accessible and sustainable and support people starting new groups.
Referrals to link workers can come from a wide range of local agencies, including general practice, local authorities, pharmacies, multi-disciplinary teams, hospital discharge teams, allied health professionals, fire service, police, job centres, social care services, housing associations and voluntary, community and social enterprise organisations. Self-referral is also encouraged. Some health and care professionals whose roles involve long-term intensive support may undertake social prescribing directly.
Social prescribing improves outcomes for people by giving more choice and control over their lives and an improved sense of belonging when people get involved in community groups. It is also effective at targeting the causes of health inequalities and is an important facet of community-centered practice. It is particularly useful for people who need more support with their mental health, have one or more long-term conditions, are lonely or isolated, or have complex social needs that affect their wellbeing.
Social prescribing can meet many different types of non-clinical need, ranging from support and advice for individuals experiencing debt, unemployment, housing or mobility issues to tackling loneliness by building social connections through joining local community groups, such as walking, singing or gardening groups.
The core principles of social prescribing are that it:
• is a holistic approach focusing on individual need
• promotes health and wellbeing and reduces health inequalities in a community setting, using non-clinical methods
• addresses barriers to engagement and enables people to play an active part in their care
• utilises and builds on the local community assets in developing and delivering the service or activity
• aims to increase people’s control over their health and lives
If you’re a front-line health professional:
• adopt person-centered and strengths-based practice when communicating with patients to ascertain whether they have non-clinical needs that may be met through social prescribing. See the person-centered care framework
• consider how people’s social and emotional needs are affecting their health, for example, their relationships, social networks, and support in their neighborhood
• find out whether your local link workers have referral criteria
• if you are a health and care professional providing a socially prescribed service, ensure that local health and care professionals and link workers are aware of the service and its referral criteria
Referrals to link workers can come from a wide range of local agencies, including general practice, local authorities, pharmacies, multi-disciplinary teams, hospital discharge teams, allied health professionals, fire service, police, job centres, social care services, housing associations and voluntary, community and social enterprise organisations. Self-referral is also encouraged. Some health and care professionals whose roles involve long-term intensive support may undertake social prescribing directly.
Social prescribing improves outcomes for people by giving more choice and control over their lives and an improved sense of belonging when people get involved in community groups. It is also effective at targeting the causes of health inequalities and is an important facet of community-centered practice. It is particularly useful for people who need more support with their mental health, have one or more long-term conditions, are lonely or isolated, or have complex social needs that affect their wellbeing.
Social prescribing can meet many different types of non-clinical need, ranging from support and advice for individuals experiencing debt, unemployment, housing or mobility issues to tackling loneliness by building social connections through joining local community groups, such as walking, singing or gardening groups.
The core principles of social prescribing are that it:
• is a holistic approach focusing on individual need
• promotes health and wellbeing and reduces health inequalities in a community setting, using non-clinical methods
• addresses barriers to engagement and enables people to play an active part in their care
• utilises and builds on the local community assets in developing and delivering the service or activity
• aims to increase people’s control over their health and lives
If you’re a front-line health professional:
• adopt person-centered and strengths-based practice when communicating with patients to ascertain whether they have non-clinical needs that may be met through social prescribing. See the person-centered care framework
• consider how people’s social and emotional needs are affecting their health, for example, their relationships, social networks, and support in their neighborhood
• find out whether your local link workers have referral criteria
• if you are a health and care professional providing a socially prescribed service, ensure that local health and care professionals and link workers are aware of the service and its referral criteria
If you’re a team leader or manager:
• ensure the teams you manage are aware of the social prescribing services and groups in your local area
• promote a culture where social prescribing is encouraged as part of ‘What matters to you?’ conversations
• encourage collaborative relationships between health and care professionals, link workers and service providers
• consider how community centred approaches can be adopted by your team to strengthen communities and build local services and groups
• create a culture where all staff understand the benefits of measuring the impact and demonstrating the value of their social prescribing work
• support your team to access making every contact count training
If you’re a senior or strategic leader:
• work to ensure social prescribing is promoted prominently within commissioned health and care services
• look at the education and training needs of the workforce to equip them to deliver high quality social prescribing advice and interventions
• link social prescribing and making every contact count to support staff to see the range of opportunities to support improvements in health and wellbeing
• ensure the teams you manage are aware of the social prescribing services and groups in your local area
• promote a culture where social prescribing is encouraged as part of ‘What matters to you?’ conversations
• encourage collaborative relationships between health and care professionals, link workers and service providers
• consider how community centred approaches can be adopted by your team to strengthen communities and build local services and groups
• create a culture where all staff understand the benefits of measuring the impact and demonstrating the value of their social prescribing work
• support your team to access making every contact count training
If you’re a senior or strategic leader:
• work to ensure social prescribing is promoted prominently within commissioned health and care services
• look at the education and training needs of the workforce to equip them to deliver high quality social prescribing advice and interventions
• link social prescribing and making every contact count to support staff to see the range of opportunities to support improvements in health and wellbeing
A good understanding of local needs in relation to community life is best collected locally by:
• speaking to communities
• listening to patients and carers
• conducting local research to gain insight
Local needs include, but are not limited to, social isolation, neighborhood belonging, housing, debt and unemployment, and people’s emotional wellbeing and resilience.
The local authority and voluntary, community and social enterprise organizations (including faith-based) can be a good source of information. Health and care professionals are in a good position to listen and learn about what’s happening locally in their patch.
Related measures include:
• self-reported wellbeing
• social connectedness
• wider determinants data, which will give an indication of the level of need in the community and populations
A common outcomes framework for measuring the impact of social prescribing has been developed, based on the impact of social prescribing on the person, the health and care system and community groups.
Link workers will be well placed to know what services and groups are available locally and to share information with patients about the specific services and groups available. Some local groups may have produced their own leaflets and have their own websites that can be shared with patients.
Link Workers are champions of social prescribing. Proactive and flexible, they empower people to take control of their wellbeing journey, offering continuous support and motivation along the way.
Social prescribing link workers are at the core of most social prescribing schemes. Building on personal and community assets, they enable people to have greater control over their health and lives.
Social prescribers reduce health inequalities by supporting people to unravel complex issues affecting wellbeing. They support people to develop skills, friendships and resilience through involvement in community groups.
Link workers are most commonly pioneered by voluntary sector organizations. Yet, they often work in partnership with GP practices and other referral agencies. Given the nature of their work, a good social prescriber needs person-centred skills and attributes. In general, these entail active listening skills, empathy, and an innate ability to support people.
Any individual working in the social and health care sector should have a set of basic skills and knowledge.
• speaking to communities
• listening to patients and carers
• conducting local research to gain insight
Local needs include, but are not limited to, social isolation, neighborhood belonging, housing, debt and unemployment, and people’s emotional wellbeing and resilience.
The local authority and voluntary, community and social enterprise organizations (including faith-based) can be a good source of information. Health and care professionals are in a good position to listen and learn about what’s happening locally in their patch.
Related measures include:
• self-reported wellbeing
• social connectedness
• wider determinants data, which will give an indication of the level of need in the community and populations
A common outcomes framework for measuring the impact of social prescribing has been developed, based on the impact of social prescribing on the person, the health and care system and community groups.
Link workers will be well placed to know what services and groups are available locally and to share information with patients about the specific services and groups available. Some local groups may have produced their own leaflets and have their own websites that can be shared with patients.
Link Workers are champions of social prescribing. Proactive and flexible, they empower people to take control of their wellbeing journey, offering continuous support and motivation along the way.
Social prescribing link workers are at the core of most social prescribing schemes. Building on personal and community assets, they enable people to have greater control over their health and lives.
Social prescribers reduce health inequalities by supporting people to unravel complex issues affecting wellbeing. They support people to develop skills, friendships and resilience through involvement in community groups.
Link workers are most commonly pioneered by voluntary sector organizations. Yet, they often work in partnership with GP practices and other referral agencies. Given the nature of their work, a good social prescriber needs person-centred skills and attributes. In general, these entail active listening skills, empathy, and an innate ability to support people.
Any individual working in the social and health care sector should have a set of basic skills and knowledge.
For social prescribers, in particular, these may include:
• good working knowledge of community services in a given locality;
• good IT skills to research local groups online;
• adequate writing skills to develop plans and reports.
• good working knowledge of community services in a given locality;
• good IT skills to research local groups online;
• adequate writing skills to develop plans and reports.
Unlike a primary healthcare professional, however, there are no formal qualifications to be a social prescriber. Prior experience in social and/or healthcare settings is ideal. Still, this can either be in a professional or voluntary capacity.
A skilled link worker is non-clinically trained. Given the person-centered ethos of the role, it is more important for link workers to have the right values and behaviors. These include empathic qualities, effective listening skills, and the ability to put people at ease and gain their trust.
Social prescribers spend time with a person to work out their preferences, strengths and goals. Their role is to motivate and support. They are here to empower people to take control of their wellbeing journey.
For one, link workers have to be proactive. They must dedicate their time and effort to the service user. There is a need to refrain from making assumptions about their wants and needs. A related attribute would then be flexibility. Social prescribers need to be open to revisiting personalized plans. Ensuring these are tailored to the changing needs of clients and the local area is important.
In this case, link workers also need a strong ability to identify and assess risk. That is, having an acute awareness of when it may be appropriate to refer people back to primary healthcare. For instance, where there is a mental health need beyond the scope of their role and demands a qualified practitioner.
Given the complex varied circumstances of those they will encounter, social prescribers ought to have a non-judgmental approach:
• Getting along with people from all backgrounds and communities
• Respecting all lifestyles and diversity
A key struggle link workers will face in their work is local gaps in service provision. In other words, a lack of community services to refer clients to. Social prescribers thus need problem-solving and innovative skills to circumvent these obstacles.
A skilled link worker is non-clinically trained. Given the person-centered ethos of the role, it is more important for link workers to have the right values and behaviors. These include empathic qualities, effective listening skills, and the ability to put people at ease and gain their trust.
Social prescribers spend time with a person to work out their preferences, strengths and goals. Their role is to motivate and support. They are here to empower people to take control of their wellbeing journey.
For one, link workers have to be proactive. They must dedicate their time and effort to the service user. There is a need to refrain from making assumptions about their wants and needs. A related attribute would then be flexibility. Social prescribers need to be open to revisiting personalized plans. Ensuring these are tailored to the changing needs of clients and the local area is important.
In this case, link workers also need a strong ability to identify and assess risk. That is, having an acute awareness of when it may be appropriate to refer people back to primary healthcare. For instance, where there is a mental health need beyond the scope of their role and demands a qualified practitioner.
Given the complex varied circumstances of those they will encounter, social prescribers ought to have a non-judgmental approach:
• Getting along with people from all backgrounds and communities
• Respecting all lifestyles and diversity
A key struggle link workers will face in their work is local gaps in service provision. In other words, a lack of community services to refer clients to. Social prescribers thus need problem-solving and innovative skills to circumvent these obstacles.
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