Abstract
BackgroundSocial prescription is an initiative that aims to link patients in primary care with sources of support within the community and voluntary sector to improve their health, wellbeing, and care experience. Such programmes usually include navigators, who work with referred patients and issue onward referrals to sources of non-medical support. Most research on social prescribing (SP) has focused on outcome evaluations, resulting in a knowledge gap of factors affecting uptake and adherence. Understanding such factors enables the refinement of programmes, which has the potential to enhance uptake and adherence, reduce health inequalities, and optimise investment.AimTo explore the experiences and views of service users, involved GPs, and navigators on factors influencing uptake and adherence to SP.Design & settingQualitative interviews were conducted with stakeholders involved in an SP programme in the east of England (Luton).MethodData were collected from semi-structured face-to-face interviews with service users, navigators, and GPs. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data.ResultsFactors affecting uptake and adherence to SP were related to patients’ trust in GPs, navigators' initial phone call, supportive navigators and service providers, free services, and perceived need and benefits. Reported barriers to uptake and adherence were fear of stigma of psychosocial problems, patient expectations, and the short-term nature of the programme.ConclusionThis study provides an insight into factors affecting patient uptake and adherence to SP programmes. More research in this field, including patients who refused to participate in SP, is needed.
Highlights
Psychosocial problems, such as debt, housing concerns, social isolation, domestic abuse, family problems, grief, and loss, can impact on peoples’ mental and physical health, wellbeing, and selfcare.[1,2,3] Patients present both medical and psychosocial problems to GPs, who are the first point of contact to seek treatment and referrals in the NHS and other health systems globally.[4,5,6,7] In order to maximise the health and wellbeing of patients, primary care professionals need to be able to respond to both patients’ medical and psychosocial needs.[7]
This study focuses on an social prescribing (SP) programme, which was implemented in one Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) area in the east of England (Luton) across four general practices
In the Luton SP programme, primary care patients have to consent to be referred to the SP programme by their GPs
Summary
Psychosocial problems, such as debt, housing concerns, social isolation, domestic abuse, family problems, grief, and loss, can impact on peoples’ mental and physical health, wellbeing, and selfcare.[1,2,3] Patients present both medical and psychosocial problems to GPs, who are the first point of contact to seek treatment and referrals in the NHS and other health systems globally.[4,5,6,7] In order to maximise the health and wellbeing of patients, primary care professionals need to be able to respond to both patients’ medical and psychosocial needs.[7]. Social prescription is an initiative that aims to link patients in primary care with sources of support within the community and voluntary sector to improve their health, wellbeing, and care experience. Such programmes usually include navigators, who work with referred patients and issue onward referrals to sources of non-medical support. Most research on social prescribing (SP) has focused on outcome evaluations, resulting in a knowledge gap of factors affecting uptake and adherence Understanding such factors enables the refinement of programmes, which has the potential to enhance uptake and adherence, reduce health inequalities, and optimise investment. More research in this field, including patients who refused to participate in SP, is needed
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