How effective is social prescribing? Our briefings and visual guides give a clear overview of existing evidence. They point to the success of social prescribing initiatives. And they identify where we need to do more research. You can come back to this page to download up-to-date evidence whenever you need.
Briefing and Rapid Evidence Review
Social prescribing can engage with people of all age groups. Reasons for referral often include mild-to-moderate mental health difficulties, loneliness and social isolation. Studies of show some demographic differences, with nearly twice as many women than men currently using these services. Not many studies report on the use of social prescribing by children under the age of 16.
Briefing and Rapid Evidence Review
People from black, Asian and ethnically diverse population groups are currently under-represented in social prescribing. But there is very limited evidence to help us understand why. So, we need to build a better picture of awareness and engagement with social prescribing by people from these communities. And we need to better understand the barriers to their engagement in the service.
Note
Social prescribing can help people in crisis, and those with long-term conditions. The service also supports those in a caring role. It can address common mental health difficulties. These include, “loneliness, stress, mild to moderate depression, and anxiety”. This area requires further research, particularly for children and young people. But there is robust evidence to support the efficacy of social prescribing for mental health.
