William Roberts, Chief Executive, Royal Society for Public Health

Today is Social Prescribing Day. There are lots of things that affect our health. Whether it’s your housing, financial status or the communities surrounding you, there are factors that we can’t always control that affect our abilities to live healthy lives.

Often, we need help to address these factors and make sure they aren’t negatively impacting our health. That’s where social prescribing comes in.

What is social prescribing?

Social prescribing helps connect people to non-medical support to address the wider determinants of health, tackling the causes of ill-health rather than just treating the symptoms. It uses local charities, social care and health services to refer people to a social prescribing link worker. These workers will produce a plan to support people to take control of their health and wellbeing by helping them access support that is local and accessible.

This support can take a number of forms. It could be helping someone struggling with loneliness join a local community group, referring someone experiencing financial difficulties onto a service that allows them to manage their debt, or encouraging someone with high blood pressure to take up a form of exercise that they enjoy.

One successful example is Live Well Wakefield, a social prescribing service working across Wakefield’s primary care networks. They have had fantastic results: 94% of clients achieved their primary health and wellbeing goal after accessing the service.

How does social prescribing help people lead healthier lives?

Social prescribing helps people take control of their health. It empowers them to manage and improve the conditions that affect their health in a way that considers everything in their life, not just their medical conditions.

It also plays a crucial role in tackling health inequalities. Often, those who need support the most are the least likely to access it. Social prescribing bridges this gap by connecting people with the services they need to improve their wellbeing.

It can also work alongside other approaches, like Making Every Contact Count, which trains people to encourage healthy behaviour change by having conversations about health with the people around them.

How can social prescribing take pressure off the NHS?

By directing people to non-clinical services, social prescribing can help reduce pressure on the NHS. Research has found that GP consultations reduced by an average of 28% and A&E attendances by 24% for people who had accessed support through social prescribing.

Social prescribing is a crucial part of creating a healthier future for our nation. Preventative services like this are essential to reducing pressure on the NHS by stopping people needing acute services, like A&E.

As the government consults on its 10-year plan for the NHS, we have the opportunity to make the case for essential services like social prescribing. You can help us tell the Government to prioritise prevention by signing our letter to the chair of the review.

Anyone from the health, care or community sector can be a social prescriber. You don’t need a specific qualification, but taking our Level 3 Certificate in Social Prescribing is a good place to start.