New research explores different ways that communities are involved in social prescribing.
The National Academy for Social Prescribing has launched new research in collaboration with Local Trust, which uncovers examples of local people being able to influence or lead social prescribing programmes, based on their communities’ needs.
The new report, Community-Led Social Prescribing, focuses on evidence from 20 communities across England, including 12 community partnerships that took part in the Big Local programme. ‘Big Local’ partnerships had received long-term funding from Local Trust, enabling local residents to make decisions on how to achieve lasting change in their areas.
Authors Ellie Munro and Chris Dayson, from the Centre for Regional Economic and Social Research at Sheffield Hallam University, found:
- Big Locals and other community groups and organisations signposting to NHS Social Prescribing Link Workers offering meeting space and funding spaces where social prescribing activities might take place; and developing their own social prescribing-style support programmes. While this work is not necessarily strategic leadership *of social prescribing*, it is vital to the successful functioning of social prescribing systems
- Big Locals and other community groups and organisations establishing more sophisticated partnerships with local NHS social prescribing programmes, and designing programmes for supporting residents to meet their health and wellbeing needs with clear links to social prescribing
- Higher strategic leadership among communities, including membership of health and local authority level strategic partnership boards.
The research concludes that sustainable investment in community development, capacity and resources is needed to enable community leadership of and involvement in social prescribing.
Charlotte Osborn-Forde, Chief Executive of NASP, said:
“The evidence shows that social prescribing can reduce loneliness, improve mental health and help people living with a wide range of health conditions. It also has a positive economic impact and takes pressure off the wider health system by ensuring people get support for social issues affecting their health.
“While the NHS roll-out of social prescribing has proved successful, the next steps should include ensuring long-term, sustainable support for community-led schemes. Bringing together funding from different sources to develop locally designed programmes, and ensuring these are well connected to the health system, can have huge benefits. This approach can play an important role in the shift to prevention and to more health support being available in communities rather than hospitals.”
Matt Leach, chief executive of Local Trust, said:
“This important research shows that deep knowledge of communities and their needs and aspirations can and should be the driving force in social prescribing. While social prescribing is often described as ‘community based,’ its focus on individual outcomes has previously overlooked the critical role that communities and community leadership play in identifying solutions.
