The National Academy for Social Prescribing (NASP) has published a new report, Envisaging a Social Prescribing Fund, which makes the case for a new fund that would support community activities, groups and services that benefit people’s health and wellbeing.
The proposed England-wide fund of £1 billion over 10 years would bring together contributions from the public, philanthropic and private sectors, and provide vital long-term funding for community groups and organisations to meet the rising demand for their activities and services - key to tackling loneliness, reducing health inequalities and improving people’s health.
The allocation of funds would be based on local health needs and could include support for evidence-based community projects for people who are struggling with their mental health, music-based programmes for people living with dementia or exercise sessions to help prevent diabetes.
NASP suggests that bringing together funding in this way could lead to £100 million investment per year for 10 years.
‘Social prescribing’ means connecting people to non-medical activities, groups and services that can improve their health and wellbeing. Within the NHS, Social Prescribing Link Workers can get to know patients and understand the root causes of health and wellbeing problems – including loneliness, isolation or problems with money or housing. They can then connect people to appropriate support in their community, based on what matters to them – from free debt advice to groups that combat loneliness or boost physical activity.
There are also other people in the community, including charity workers, youth workers or faith leaders, who can identify people who might need support and help them connect to relevant activities, groups or services.
However, funding for these groups and activities can be short-term and fragmented, making it difficult for charities and voluntary organisations to keep delivering effective programmes.
There is a consensus from the 100 organisations that helped to develop the report that pooling resources to provide longer term funding is key to supporting thriving communities better able to support people's health and wellbeing needs. This could help to reduce inequalities, moderate avoidable demand on the NHS and thereby support economic growth.
Social prescribing programmes within the NHS have proved to be highly effective, with more than 2.6 million referrals since 2019. Evidence reports by NASP show that social prescribing can reduce loneliness, improve mental health and have a positive impact for people living with a wide range of health conditions. It can also lead to substantial reductions in avoidable GP appointments, A&E attendances and hospital admissions, and save costs for the NHS.
Previous smaller scale funds focusing on a particular type of activity have had a highly positive impact. A recent independent evaluation of the cross-Government Green Social Prescribing Programme showed that connecting people to nature-based projects had a statistically significant impact on wellbeing and mental health, in a way that was cost-effective compared to other NHS interventions. The programme produced an estimated £2.42 in social and economic value for each £1 invested by central Government.
Charlotte Osborn-Forde, Chief Executive of the National Academy for Social Prescribing, said:
“We know that the NHS needs to move more care out of hospitals and into communities and to shift from treating sickness to preventing ill-health. Charities and local projects can play a huge role in this, but too often they are not well connected to the health system and struggle to find long-term funding. That means time and energy wasted as they try to sustain themselves, and uncertainty for local people about what’s available.
“By pooling resources into dedicated, long-term funds across the country, we can help people stay healthier for longer. This is about being strategic and joining the dots between the NHS and local communities. If we get this right, it could have huge benefits for individuals, for communities, for charities and for the health system.”
Shane Devlin, Chief Executive of Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire Integrated Care Board, said:
“For the past three years, we have been piloting shared investment grant programmes across Bristol, North Somerset, and South Gloucestershire. These initiatives are proving effective, demonstrating the value of directing resources into communities to support people in leading healthy, fulfilling lives.
“By introducing shared investment funds, with a single process to access funding, we can support our voluntary and charity organisations to dedicate more of their limited resources to delivering life-changing services and activities for local people.”
Matt Hyde, Chief Executive of Lloyds Bank Foundation, said:
“Locally-based community organisations play a vital role in providing much needed services and improving health outcomes. But we will only unlock their full potential, and the potential of social prescribing, if the voluntary and community sector is properly funded. That’s why we welcome this report, which outlines creative ways of drawing down new forms of collaborative investment.”
Andrew Bland, Chief Executive of South-East London Integrated Care Board, said:
“Local groups and organisations do vital work in supporting people’s health and wellbeing, and it’s important that the NHS works closely with them. We think there’s a fantastic opportunity for Integrated Care Boards to work closely with government, lotteries, philanthropists and businesses, to create longer-term and more strategic funding for social prescribing activities in communities.”
Tracy Herd, Director, Europe Young Men’s Health for Movember, said:
"The National Academy for Social Prescribing’s report demonstrates how truly invaluable community-led care can be to combat health inequalities and reach people with the greatest need. At Movember, we know this type of intervention works especially well when it comes to men’s health, as research shows that men are more likely to engage with local, community services and spaces, as these are places which they can co-design, and where they can feel understood and empowered.
“This holistic approach to healthcare should be a key consideration for the Government’s recently launched Men’s Health Strategy, as the report shows how social prescribing can not only lead to improved health and economic outcomes, but importantly that that these services can have wider ripple effects across all areas of men’s lives, including work. This is an opportunity for all government departments to come together with local statutory partners, businesses, employers, philanthropists, and national funders and invest to deliver real impact.”
Matt Leach, Chief Executive of Local Trust, said:
“The Big Local programme and our research shows that empowering communities to take a greater role in social prescribing can drive better health outcomes and more sustainable solutions. Typically, community groups are just seen as service providers, but because of their deep knowledge of communities and their needs and aspirations they should be given more autonomy to plan, design and deliver services. With growing pressure on the NHS, investing in community leadership is vital to ensure social prescribing delivers meaningful and lasting impact.”
Sir Muir Gray said:
“The clinical services of the NHS make a vital contribution to the nation’s health but they need to be supplemented and complemented by a range of activities and services delivered in communities across the country to help tackle the social and environmental determinants of disease and wellbeing.
“Drug and other clinical interventions are crucial but on their own are often not enough, and need to be complemented with non-medical support. Social prescribing connects people to non-clinical activities, groups and services in their community. The proposed social prescribing fund offers community groups and organisations local access to long-term funding so vital if we are going to meet the rising demand for their activities and services, helping to reduce the need for drug prescriptions and to shift health care from hospitals back into communities.”
The writing of Envisaging a Social Prescribing Fund was funded by the National Lottery Community Fund.
Launch event
We hosted a launch event hearing from leaders from the health, finance, political and voluntary sectors who gave their perspective on why the proposed fund is so vital.
