Abstract
Social prescribing is an increasingly popular approach to promoting health and well-being, by addressing the wider determinants of health such as physical inactivity, social isolation and financial insecurity. Social prescribing link workers (SPs) connect people to local, non-clinical services. As part of the NHS Long Term Plan, NHS England aims to recruit 1,000 SPs across England by 2021. Understanding the role of SPs, including challenging aspects of the role and the types of training and support needed by SPs is crucial to optimising the effectiveness of social prescribing. Semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with nine SPs from five NHS and voluntary sector organisations in London to explore the role of SPs and identify SP training and support needs. Interviews were analysed thematically and three key themes emerged for which SPs needed particular support: defining and promoting their role; supporting clients with complex needs and coping with the emotional demands of their role. SP perceptions of training and future training needs is presented as a fourth theme. Most SPs felt that the initial training received for their role did not prepare them for the most demanding aspects of their roles. The findings of this study support the assertion that the social prescribing link worker role is complex and challenging. SPs are required to have in-depth knowledge of local services, which is built over time and makes retention in the role of high importance. Steps have been taken to develop online resources to support SPs, however, there may be a need for more comprehensive training, especially in mental health. SPs benefit from access to peer or one-to-one support to help them manage the emotional demands of the role and could benefit from the formation of local networks, especially for SPs working in isolation.
Highlights
Social prescribing is a novel approach to managing health and well- being in the UK
Three key themes emerged from the interviews for which social prescribing link workers (SPs) required training and support: defining and promoting the role, supporting clients with complex physical and mental health needs and coping with the emotional demands of the role
The findings of this study support the assertion that working as a social prescribing link worker is a complex and demanding role
Summary
Social prescribing is a novel approach to managing health and well- being in the UK. Social prescribing link workers (SPs) are recruited from a variety of professional backgrounds and are employed to provide a holistic assessment and support clients to manage complex health and well-being needs. A person with diabetes who is overweight and struggling with low mood could work with an SP to identify a range of factors affecting their health and well-being and co-produce a plan to address these. In this example, the SP may link the client to a local long-term condition support group and support them to attend a local exercise class.
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