The National Academy for Social Prescribing (NASP) is widely recognised as the authoritative national body for social prescribing in England, according to an independent evaluation of our 2025 Stakeholder Survey, which gathered views from over 400 people across the NHS, voluntary and community organisations (VCSE), local authorities, academia, government, and people with lived experience.
Impact of NASP
Stakeholders consistently describe NASP as playing a positive and meaningful role in strengthening social prescribing by supporting the people, organisations, and systems that make it work on the ground.
Many describe NASP as the organisation they turn to for credible information, national insight, leadership, and reassurance.
“They are the go-to organisation for social prescribing in England” said one health or care worker, whilst a volunteer said, “being able to refer to a national organisation has helped give our work more credibility”.
Stakeholders say NASP makes a tangible difference by:
- Improving knowledge and understanding of social prescribing
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Supporting workforce identity and capability through provision of guidance, tools, and professional
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Strengthening implementation, by providing resources for service development and improving clarity around roles and model
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Building a connected community of practice, by providing networking and collaboration opportunities which have reduced isolation, and enabled shared learning
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Strengthening confidence to advocate for social prescribing.
For many practitioners, particularly Social Prescribing Link Workers, NASP’s presence signals that there is a national body “on their side”, championing both the role and the wider social model of health.
Having a national body which produces material that supports a model of working such as social prescribing allows me to continuously advocate for the profession in my role. The ‘invisible’ support of this is felt daily as I promote the person-centred community approach to health & wellbeing which is required for widespread and much needed change in our national approach to health.
Ongoing challenges
While social prescribing is strongly supported, stakeholders described a range of barriers that risk limiting its impact.
The challenges raised include:
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Inconsistent funding for VCSE organisations, which deliver the activities people are prescribed into
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Weak integration between the NHS and community organisations, leading to unclear pathways
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Low public and professional understanding of social prescribing
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High pressure on link workers, with heavy caseloads and limited support
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Inconsistent evidence and data, particularly in relation to what works.
“We see far too many patients, which limits the support we can offer and its quality, social prescribers end up burning out”, said one NHS Link Worker. “The role of a link worker is redundant if there are no services to refer/signpost people to,” said another.
Importantly, stakeholders stress that these challenges are interconnected and cannot be solved in isolation.
What stakeholders expect from NASP
Because of these system‑wide pressures, expectations of NASP are high, and remarkably consistent.
Stakeholders expect NASP to combine advocacy, policy influence, and strategic leadership with practical, delivery‑focused support, making it the central infrastructure body for social prescribing in the UK.
Stakeholders see NASP playing a particularly crucial role in:
• National advocacy and policy leadership – influencing government, securing sustainable funding, and protecting the social model and workforce
• Leadership and coordination – setting national direction, reducing variation, promoting consistency, and convening partners across sectors.
A role is also identified for NASP in:
• Awareness and communication – raising public and professional understanding of social prescribing and its benefits
• Research, evidence, and data – leading the national evidence base, ensuring high quality data, and improving outcome measurement
• Workforce development – supporting link workers with training, networks, and communities of practice, alongside defining roles, and improving standards/quality assurance
• Implementation support – providing practical tools and guidance to help practitioners to deliver social prescribing, including sharing models that work/good practice.
Collectively, the findings reflect NASP’s role as national convener, advocate, and evidence-leader as critical to sustaining and strengthening the impact of social prescribing in the UK.
Thank you to everyone who took part in the survey, which will play a crucial role in the development of our new strategy.
