Our new report, The Impact of Social Prescribing on Health Service Use and Costs: Examples of local evaluations in practice suggests that there is strong and growing evidence that social prescribing services can lead to substantial reductions in avoidable GP appointments, hospital admissions and A&E attendances.
The report builds on an existing body of evidence that social prescribing directly improves people’s health, strengthens communities and offers value for money. Looking at data from nine areas of England, its findings include:
· a 42.2% reduction in GP appointments among 1,751 patients who accessed social prescribing in Tameside and Glossop.
· a 15.4%–23.6% reduction in A&E attendances among 5,908 patients who accessed social prescribing in Kent.
· In Kirklees and Rotherham, frequent users of healthcare services saw GP visits and A&E attendances reduce substantially following social prescribing interventions.
The report also suggested that social prescribing can have a positive economic impact. In Newcastle, secondary care costs were 9.4% lower compared to a matched control group where social prescribing was not available. In Rotherham, a pre and post analysis on frequent users reported a reduction in costs up to 39% for A&E attendances.
The report’s findings have different methodologies and vary across regions, but overall most of the studies suggest that connecting people to groups, services and activities in their communities can reduce pressure on NHS services. In some cases, studies show a rise in health service use for patients who rarely use health services, but reductions for those who use them frequently.
Social prescribing in the NHS typically involves a trained Link Worker helping patients develop a personalised plan to improve their health and wellbeing, and connecting them to local groups and services that can help. This is based on what matters to each patient, and usually involves addressing underlying social factors, including loneliness, isolation or problems with debt or housing.
NASP is recommending that social prescribing continues to be expanded so it is available to patients across a wider range of NHS care and treatment services.
Many things that affect our health and wellbeing can’t be tackled by medicine and doctors alone. Social prescribing is a way of connecting people to non-medical support - from groups that combat loneliness, to support with money and housing, to projects that help people with long-term conditions to be more active. It asks patients what matters to them and helps empower them to improve their own health.
Social prescribing is not only good for patients but it’s good for the health system too. Because it helps people to stay healthier for longer, it can mean people visit their GPs less often and are less likely to be admitted to hospital. We know our health system needs to move from treatment to prevention, so we’re calling for the NHS to be bold and expand social prescribing so that every patient who needs it is able to access it as part of their treatment and care.
Social prescribing became part of national health policy in 2019. Since then, more than 3,500 Social Prescribing Link Workers have been employed within primary care teams. The personalised approach taken by Link Workers ensures that each patient’s unique needs are met, enhancing the role of community resources in supporting patient health. Increasingly, hospitals and specialist care services are integrating social prescribing into their care models.
Previous research has shown that social prescribing can reduce loneliness and isolation, improve wellbeing and mental health and have a positive impact for people living with a range of physical health conditions. A recent evaluation of the cross-Government Green Social Prescribing programme showed strong improvements in the wellbeing and mental health of participants. NASP’s 2023 rapid review found that for every £1 invested in social prescribing, there is a social and economic return ranging from £2.14 to £8.56.
