12/05/2026 Strong public support for social prescribing

The National Academy for Social Prescribing’s latest survey with YouGov* suggests strong public support for the concept of social prescribing, even if people do not always recognise the terminology or know how it works in practice.

69% of people in England agreed that healthcare professionals should be able to prescribe patients social activities, suggesting a high level of awareness of the links between health and social connection. 

Most people were also aware that social prescribing is happening within the NHS: 55% of people in England were aware that healthcare professionals, such as their GP, could refer patients to non-medical sources of support for their health and wellbeing. 

Fewer people recognised the phrase “social prescribing”, although awareness continues to grow. The survey suggests that 24% of people in England have heard of the phrase “social prescribing”. This has almost doubled since March 2022, when 13% said that they had heard of the term. 

There is still low awareness of the role of link workers, even though people recognise the need for a role like this to exist.  

Only 11% of people in England were aware of there being a Social Prescribing Link Worker available through their GP practice.  

This may in part reflect the fact that the role is often referred to by different names – including social prescriber or community connector.

However, there was strong public support for connecting roles within GP practices. 75% of people in England agreed that there should be someone available in their GP surgery who can get to know patients properly, understand their needs and connect them to non-medical services in their area.   

People recognised that GPs were not necessarily the right people to lead on providing non-medical support. Only 14% in England agreed that GPs have the time and skills to support people with practical issues, like relationship problems or worries about money and housing. 

Respondents were asked how likely they would be to take up a referral from their GP to someone who can take time to understand their needs and connect them to non-medical services in their area. 

63% of people in England said that they were either somewhat or very likely to accept the referral. 

In other words, most people appear to understand the need for a role like a link worker and be likely to accept a referral if offered. 

Other research, with different methodology, paints a broadly similar picture: 

A survey by Department of Health and Social Care in 2023 suggested that 61% of people in the UK were aware that healthcare professionals can refer people to non-medical support for their mental health (e.g. support groups or community activities). 

A 2026 survey commissioned by Aviva and carried out by Censuswide found that, once explained, 66% of people in the UK agreed social prescribing could enhance the health of the nation, increasing to 77% of those aged 25-34 years.