Social Prescribing Schemes Research Articles

Interrogating green social prescribing in South Wales; A multi-stakeholder qualitative exploration.

As an umbrella term, social prescribing offers varied routes into society which promise to support, enhance, and empower individual citizens to take control of their own health and wellbeing. Globally healthcare systems are struggling to cope with the increasing demands of an ageing population and the NHS (UK) is no exception. Social prescribing is heralded as a means to relieve the burden on primary care and provide support for the 20% of patients whose needs are non-medical. As such an increasing array of schemes are available, spanning five sub-sets: creative or nature-based referrals, welfare services, exercise referrals, education programmes or befriending support. Green social prescription offers significant potential to promote wellbeing and improve health outcomes. However limited research has explored this emergent sub-set. Explore and interrogate the concept of social prescribing to understand how it is conceptualised, perceived, and experienced by different stakeholders involved in its coordination, delivery, and provision; At a time when it is being formalised in Wales, UK. Using qualitative enquiry, from a social constructivist paradigm, stakeholder perspectives pertaining to current social prescribing models, pathways and actions in Wales were explored. Three multi-discipline research workshops and ten semi-structured, one-to-one interviews were conducted either in person or via zoom. Qualitative data were analysed thematically. 39 different stakeholders contributed. These included social prescribers, community connectors, service coordinators, third sector and voluntary organisation representatives, a general practitioner, occupational therapist, social enterprisers, academics and local area coordinators. Five themes were identified which revolved around stakeholders discussions of critical challenges pertaining to the delivery, provision, and evaluation of green social prescribing schemes in south Wales, UK. Tension between varying stakeholders was also evident, often preceded, or complicated by funding discrepancies, competition, and uncertainty. Stakeholders demanded clarity regarding evaluation outcomes and benchmarking across the sector. To ensure the continued provision of social prescribing schemes which are highly valued by service users, voluntary and third sector organisations require funding security and stability. The delivery of green, nature-based, schemes require maintenance of trusting, long-term relationships with local service co-ordinators and referrers, secure equitable funding models and agreement over conceptual basis of social prescribing itself, particularly in relation to 'where' social prescribing is located within health and social care models. Without resolution and positive progress across these areas the continuation of local green schemes within local communities, which build resilience and support positive change for service users' health and wellbeing, is questionable.

Moderating effect of country-level health determinants on the association between hobby engagement and mental health: cross-cohort multi-level models, meta-analyses, and meta-regressions

BackgroundTheories from anthropology, evolutionary psychology, and sociology have focused on the potential adaptive benefits of hobby engagement for mental health in older adults. However, previous studies have used data from single countries, potentially biased by specific measurement and methodological approaches, cohort effects, or cultural specificities. Whether there are genuine benefits for mental health in older adults cross-culturally remains unknown. This study explored the consistency of this association across 16 different nations. MethodsFor this epidemiological study, we used data from adults aged 65 years or older across 16 countries in the USA, Europe, and Asia, represented in five longitudinal studies (ELSA, JAGES, HRS, SHARE and CHARLS; N=93 263, 45–62% female, mean age 72–76 years, data collected 2008–20). We harmonised measures of self-reported engagement in hobbies and past-times, depressive symptoms (validated scales), and Likert scale responses for self-reported health, happiness, and life satisfaction. We conducted fixed-effects models and longitudinal regression models of hobbies and mental health for each country and then pooled in multinational meta-analyses. We accounted for all time-constant factors including those unobserved (eg, genetics, past leisure behaviour, medical history, psychological traits) and identified time-varying factors (eg, sociodemographic background, clinical conditions, daily functioning). We tested the potential moderating effects of country-level determinants of health in meta-regressions and multilevel models. FindingsMeta-analytic fixed-effects findings showed that having a hobby was associated with fewer depressive symptoms (pooled coefficient –0·10, 95% CI –0·13 to –0·07, I2=69·5%, H2=3·28), and higher levels of self-reported health (0·06, 0·03 to 0·08, I2=48·1%, H2=1·93), happiness (0·09, 0·06 to 0·13, I2=67·0%, H2=3·03), and life satisfaction (0·10, 0·08 to 0·12, I2=33·6%, H2=1·51). Results were consistent in meta-analyses of longitudinal regression models testing directionality of findings. Macro-level factors such as life expectancy, world happiness index, country wealth, and income inequality predicted prevalence of hobby engagement, but they showed only marginal moderating effects on the association between hobbies and mental health. InterpretationDespite some heterogeneity in measurement between the cohorts, the apparent universality of the health benefits of hobbies internationally suggests that facilitating greater opportunities for engagement across demographic groups and between countries could be an important part of multidisciplinary care. Findings have implications for social prescribing schemes (currently in trial in many countries) and multidisciplinary work on origins and human behavioural patterns of hobby engagement. FundingNational Endowment for the Arts, Wellcome Trust, Belgian Nnational Scientific Fund (FNRS).

Social Prescribing Schemes in Primary Care in Spain (EvalRA Project): a mixed-method study protocol to build an evaluation model

BackgroundSocial Prescribing is a Primary Health Care service that provides people with non-clinical care alternatives that may have an impact on their health. Social Prescribing can be more or less formal and structured.Social Prescribing Schemes are formal Social Prescribing of health assets by Primary Health Care teams in coordination and follow-up of patients with providers.The emerging evidence suggests that this service can improve people’s health and well-being, create value and provide sustainability for the healthcare system. However, some evaluations note that the current evidence regarding social prescribing is insufficient and needs further investigation.The EvaLRA project aims to elaborate an evaluation model of Social Prescribing Schemes in Primary Health Care based on a set of structure, process, and outcomes indicators.MethodsIn the region of Aragon, the Community Health Care Strategy aims to promote the development of social prescription schemes in Primary Health Care teams.This study is divided into two stages. Stage 1: identification of primary health care teams that implement social prescribing schemes and establish a first set of indicators to evaluate social prescribing using qualitative consensus techniques with experts. Stage 2 evaluation of the relevance, feasibility and sensitivity of selected indicators after 6 and 12 months in primary health care teams. The results will provide a set of indicators considering structure, process and outcomes for social prescribing schemes.DiscussionCurrent evaluations of the application of social prescribing schemes use different criteria and indicators. A set of agreed indicators and its piloting in primary health care teams will provide a tool to evaluate the implementation of social prescription schemes. In addition, the scorecard created could be of interest to other health systems in order to assess the service and improve its information system, deployment and safety.

Global Trends in Social Prescribing: Web-Based Crawling Approach.

Social loneliness is a prevalent issue in industrialized countries that can lead to adverse health outcomes, including a 26% increased risk of premature mortality, coronary heart disease, stroke, depression, cognitive impairment, and Alzheimer disease. The United Kingdom has implemented a strategy to address loneliness, including social prescribing-a health care model where physicians prescribe nonpharmacological interventions to tackle social loneliness. However, there is a need for evidence-based plans for global social prescribing dissemination. This study aims to identify global trends in social prescribing from 2018. To this end, we intend to collect and analyze words related to social prescribing worldwide and evaluate various trends of related words by classifying the core areas of social prescribing. Google's searchable data were collected to analyze web-based data related to social prescribing. With the help of web crawling, 3796 news items were collected for the 5-year period from 2018 to 2022. Key topics were selected to identify keywords for each major topic related to social prescribing. The topics were grouped into 4 categories, namely Healthy, Program, Governance, and Target, and keywords for each topic were selected thereafter. Text mining was used to determine the importance of words collected from new data. Word clouds were generated for words related to social prescribing, which collected 3796 words from Google News databases, including 128 in 2018, 432 in 2019, 566 in 2020, 748 in 2021, and 1922 in 2022, increasing nearly 15-fold between 2018 and 2022 (5 years). Words such as health, prescribing, and GPs (general practitioners) were the highest in terms of frequency in the list for all the years. Between 2020 and 2021, COVID, gardening, and UK were found to be highly related words. In 2022, NHS (National Health Service) and UK ranked high. This dissertation examines social prescribing-related term frequency and classification (2018-2022) in Healthy, Program, Governance, and Target categories. Key findings include increased "Healthy" terms from 2020, "gardening" prominence in "Program," "community" growth across categories, and "Target" term spikes in 2021. This study's discussion highlights four key aspects: (1) the "Healthy" category trends emphasize mental health, cancer, and sleep; (2) the "Program" category prioritizes gardening, community, home-schooling, and digital initiatives; (3) "Governance" underscores the significance of community resources in social prescribing implementation; and (4) "Target" focuses on 4 main groups: individuals with long-term conditions, low-level mental health issues, social isolation, or complex social needs impacting well-being. Social prescribing is gaining global acceptance and is becoming a global national policy, as the world is witnessing a sharp rise in the aging population, noncontagious diseases, and mental health problems. A successful and sustainable model of social prescribing can be achieved by introducing social prescribing schemes based on the understanding of roles and the impact of multisectoral partnerships.

Service Users’ Perspectives of a National Social Prescribing Programme to Address Loneliness and Social Isolation: A Qualitative Study

Loneliness is considered to be a global public health challenge, impacting a range of physical and mental health conditions. Social prescribing, whereby service users are signposted into community-based activities and social groups by a community link worker, has been suggested as one mechanism to reduce service users’ loneliness and social isolation. This paper reflects on service users’ experiences of accessing a national social prescribing scheme. Drawing on qualitative findings from interviews with service users who were receiving support through a social prescribing programme between October 2017 and December 2018 (n = 26, with n = 12 interviewed a second time), we reflect on their experiences of the programme. We consider some of the complexities of providing short-term support with a focus on signposting people into local activities, when many service users prefer the companionship of their link worker. Furthermore, we highlight some of the difficulties in ending short-term support. Crucially, we highlight the importance of considering the intersection of the social determinants of health. We suggest that social prescribing schemes may exacerbate inequalities if consideration is not given to the ways in which people are (dis)advantaged in accessing the social capital necessary for their initial and continued involvement.

O dezbatere actuală – muzeele și bunăstarea

Well-being is not just a buzzword, it is a complex concept that has become widely used in the museum sector. In this article we are trying to identify, how museums can contribute to the wellbeing of individuals, especially for those with a range of health condition (mental health service users, people with dementia or older people). As a reliable community asset, museums can be embedded into social prescribing schemes as a specific way to provide benefits for those people who I have already indicated. There is increasing evidence linking museum object handling sessions to individual wellbeing. Hence, museums bring unique value to public health interventions, more specifically, tactile engagement with museum artefacts has therapeutic effects on participants.

Intervention components of link worker social prescribing programmes: A scoping review.

In the United Kingdom (UK), link worker social prescribing has emerged as an option to improve long-term condition management and address primary care patients' non-medical needs by linking patients with community-based activities and support. Social prescribing is a complex, heterogenous intervention, and there is currently no taxonomy of components to guide its implementation and evaluation. This study aimed to identify and categorise the components of link worker social prescribing schemes in the United Kingdom. A scoping review of peer-reviewed literature was conducted. Six databases were used to identify papers that met inclusion criteria. Eligible articles were original research studies in the United Kingdom describing interventions that included (1) initial referral of adults with chronic physical health conditions and/or unmet social needs from primary care to a link worker or equivalent role, (2) consultation with a link worker or equivalent role and (3) referral to a community-based or government service. Of the 1078 articles identified, 32 met study eligibility criteria, representing 22 social prescribing schemes. We drew from the template for intervention description and replication (TIDieR) to identify, organise and report intervention components. We found wide variations in geography, target populations and intervention components such as activities and procedures conducted by primary care staff and link workers, organisational and staffing configurations and use of tools and financing approaches to facilitate adoption. Intervention components are summarised into a taxonomy to guide future research, policy and practice efforts in addition to supporting standardised intervention reporting.

The mental health benefits of visiting canals and rivers: An ecological momentary assessment study.

Existing evidence shows positive effects of being in nature on wellbeing, but we know little about the mental health benefits of spending time near canals and rivers specifically. This study investigates the association between visits to canals and rivers and mental wellbeing. We addressed the following questions: Are visits to canals and rivers associated with higher levels of mental wellbeing? Does this association depend on age and gender? Does this association vary between people with and without a diagnosis on mental illness? We used Urban Mind, a flexible smartphone application for examining the impact of different aspects of the built and social environment on mental wellbeing, a strong predictor of mental health. Participants were invited to complete an ecological momentary assessment three times a day for fourteen days. Each assessment included questions about their surrounding environment and mental wellbeing. A total of 7,975 assessments were completed by 299 participants including 87 with a diagnosis of mental illness. Multilevel regression models were used to analyse the data. We found positive associations between visits to canals and rivers and mental wellbeing (p < .05) when compared to being anywhere else and when compared to being in green spaces. Increases in mental wellbeing were still evident after the visit had taken place. These effects remained significant after adjusting for age, gender, ethnicity and education, and were consistent in people with and without a diagnosis of mental illness. Spending time near canals and rivers is associated with better mental wellbeing. These findings have potential implications for mental health as well as urban planning and policy. Visits to canals and rivers could become part of social prescribing schemes, playing a role in preventing mental health difficulties and complementing more traditional interventions.

Frequency of leisure activity engagement and health functioning over a 4-year period: a population-based study amongst middle-aged adults

RationaleLeisure activities have wide-ranging benefits for physical and mental health. However, previous studies have often focused on “leisure” as a homogeneous group of activities. This study was therefore designed to take a prospective and comparative approach exploring different types of leisure activities, as well as investigating whether frequency of engagement is associated with strength of benefits.MethodData from the 1970 British Cohort Study Waves 9 (age 42) and 10 (age 46) were analysed (N = 5,639). Eight domains derived from the SF-36 health survey questionnaire were used to measure health functioning (general health, vitality, bodily pain, social functioning, physical functioning, mental health, role limitations due to emotional, and role limitations due to physical problems). Leisure activities included physical activity, culture engagement, arts participation, volunteering or community engagement, and literature activities. Both ordinary least squares and logistic regressions were applied.ResultsPhysical activity was associated with greater levels of physical functioning, general health, and vitality at higher frequencies, while cultural engagement was associated with social functioning and physical functioning when engaged in several times a year. Arts participation and literature activities had a general negative association with health functioning. Engagements in volunteering/community groups showed varying associations with health functioning (both positive and negative) depending on the levels of engagements.ConclusionThis research suggests that the types of leisure activities and levels of engagement can have differential associations with health amongst middle-aged adults. This may be helpful for public health initiatives and programmes such as social prescribing schemes when formulating programmes, especially regarding ‘dosage’ of engagement. Further, the overall benefits of high engagement frequency suggest that increasing leisure engagement could play an important role in supporting improving health and wellbeing at a population level.

Longitudinal associations between going outdoors and mental health and wellbeing during a COVID-19 lockdown in the UK

The COVID-19 pandemic led to national lockdowns in countries around the world. Whilst lockdowns were shown to be effective in reducing the spread of disease, they were also associated with adverse effects on people’s mental health and wellbeing. Previous studies have suggested that time spent outside may have played a role in mitigating these negative effects, but research on this topic remains limited. Therefore, this study was designed to explore the longitudinal associations between going outdoors and people’s mental health and wellbeing during the first national lockdown (March–May 2020) in the UK. Data from 35,301 participants from the COVID-19 Social Study were analysed. Fixed effects regression was used to explore the longitudinal association between changes in going outdoors (the number of days spent outside) and changes in depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, life satisfaction and loneliness. A range of household and neighbourhood moderators were examined. Results show that an increase in the number of days spent outside was associated with decreases in depressive and anxiety symptoms and an increase in life satisfaction. Associations were more salient amongst people living with others, and those with greater satisfaction with their neighbourhood walkability and green spaces. No longitudinal association was found with loneliness. Overall, our analyses showed a positive association between going outdoors and improved mental health and wellbeing during the first COVID-19 lockdown in the UK. These findings are important for formulating guidance for people to stay well at home during pandemics and for the on-going nature-based social prescribing scheme.

Artist wellbeing: exploring the experiences of dance artists delivering community health and wellbeing initiatives

ABSTRACT Research evidence indicates the ability of dance to improve physical and mental health and wellbeing through its unique combination of creative expression, movement and social connections. This article explores the wellbeing of independent dance artists/practitioners delivering initiatives for the UK’s social prescribing scheme. The article examines the experiences, practices and professional development of dance artists/practitioners providing community dance programmes with a particular focus on enhancing participants’ wellbeing. Dance artists/practitioners participated in a UK-wide online survey (n = 30) and a focus group discussion (n = 3) between May to September 2019. Using a qualitative methodology, we examined the dance artists/practitioners’ practice, perspectives and needs. Three themes emerged – barriers to wellbeing, isolation and support networks. Four crucial areas of concern were highlighted. 1) Clearer distinctions between social prescribing, arts in primary/secondary care and participatory, community arts programming. 2) Improved dialogue between dance artists/practitioners, employers/commissioners, communities and training providers. 3) Action to address the lack of affective support and training for dance artists/practitioners working in a health and wellbeing context, and 4) Recognition. The independent dance sector still has work to do in order to provide dance artists/practitioners with access to training, peer support, professional development and wellbeing provision.

Supporting Vulnerable Populations During the Pandemic: Stakeholders' Experiences and Perceptions of Social Prescribing in Scotland During Covid-19.

Social prescribing schemes refer people toward personalized health/wellbeing interventions in local communities. Since schemes hold different representations of social prescribing, responses to the pandemic crisis will vary. Intersectionality states that social divisions build on one another, sustaining unequal health outcomes. We conducted and inductively analysed interviews with twenty-three professional and volunteer stakeholders across three social prescribing schemes in urban and rural Scotland at the start and end of year one of the pandemic. Concerns included identifying and digitally supporting disadvantaged and vulnerable individuals and reduced capacity statutory and third-sector services, obliging link workers to assume new practical and psychological responsibilities. Social prescribing services in Scotland, we argue, represent a collage of practices superimposed on a struggling healthcare system. Those in need of such services are unlikely to break through disadvantage whilst situated within a social texture wherein inequalities of education, health and environmental arrangements broadly intersect with one another.

Social prescribing: a nurse-led pilot project in a general practice setting

Social prescribing is a mechanism for promoting health and well-being whereby people are referred for non-clinical interventions to a range of services and groups in their local community. In social prescribing schemes, healthcare professionals and/or link workers connect people with community groups and services that can support them with a broad range of emotional, social and practical needs, ultimately enabling them to take ownership of their health. This article describes the development, implementation and outcomes of a nurse-led social prescribing pilot project conducted in a general practice in South Devon. There is evidence that social prescribing can result in improved health and well-being, but more robust and systematic evidence of its effectiveness is needed. Qualitative outcome data were collected as part of the pilot project, adding to the evidence base showing the benefits of social prescribing.

Social Prescribing in National Health Service Primary Care: What Are the Ethical Considerations?

Policy Points Social prescribing is proposed as a way of improving patients’ health and well‐being by attending to their non‐clinical needs. This is done by connecting patients with community assets (typically voluntary or charitable organizations) that provide social and personal support.In the United Kingdom, social prescribing is used to improve patient well‐being and reduce use of National Health Service resources.Although social prescribing schemes hold promise, evidence of their effects and effectiveness is sparse.As more information on social prescribing is gathered, it will be important to consider the associated ethical issues for patients, clinicians, link workers, and community assets.

Link worker perspectives of early implementation of social prescribing: A 'Researcher-in-Residence' study.

Social prescribing (SP) is increasing in popularity in the UK and can enable healthcare providers to respond more effectively to a range of non-clinical needs. With the NHS commitment to establish an SP link worker in all GP practices, there is a rapid increase in the number of SP schemes across the country. There is currently insufficient evidence concerning the implementation and acceptability of SP schemes. In this paper, we report our analysis of the descriptions of the experiences of SP link workers, regarding the early implementation of SP link workers in two SP programmes in the South West. Data were gathered using the 'Researcher in Residence' (RiR) model, where the researcher was immersed in the environments in which the SP was managed and delivered. The RiR undertook conversations with 11 SP link workers, 2 SP link worker managers and 1 SP counsellor over six months. The RiR visited seven link workers at their GP practices (service 1) and four at their head office (service 2). The RiR met with the link worker managers at their offices, and the RiR spoke with the SP counsellor on the telephone. Data from these conversations were analysed using Thematic Analysis and six codes were constructed to advance our understanding of the components of early implementation of the SP programmes. Training (particularly around mental health), workforce support, location and SP champions within GP practices were found to be key strategies of SP implementation, link worker involvement acting as a conduit for the impacts of these strategies. This paper suggests that the implementation of SP programmes can be improved by addressing each of these areas, alongside allowing link workers the flexibility and authority to respond to challenges as they emerge.

Weathering the storm: A qualitative study of social prescribing in urban and rural Scotland during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Objectives:The non-clinical approach known as social prescribing aims to tackle multi-morbidity, reduce general practitioner (GP) workload and promote wellbeing by directing patients to community services. Usual in-person modes of delivery of social prescribing have been virtually impossible under social distancing rules. This study qualitatively examined and compared the responses of three social prescribing schemes in Scotland to the COVID-19 pandemic.Methods:We interviewed a theoretical sample of 23 stakeholders in urban and rural social prescribing schemes at the start of COVID-19 pandemic. Follow-up interviews with a representative sample were conducted around 10 months later. Interviewees included social prescribing coordinators (SPCs) GPs, managers, researchers and representatives of third sector organizations. Interview transcripts were analysed in stages and an inductive approach to coding was supported by NVivo.Results:Findings revealed a complex social prescribing landscape in Scotland with schemes funded, structured and delivering services in diverse ways. Across all schemes, working effectively during the pandemic and shifting to online delivery had been challenging and demanding; however, their priorities in response to the pandemic had differed. With GP time and services stretched to limits, GP practice-attached ‘Link Workers’ had taken on counselling and advocacy roles, sometimes for serious mental health cases. Community-based SPCs had mostly assumed a health education role, and those on the Western Isles of Scotland a digital support role. In both rural or urban areas, combatting loneliness and isolation – especially given social distancing – remained a pivotal aspect of the SPC role.Conclusion:This study highlights significant challenges and shifts in focus in social prescribing in response to the pandemic. The use of multiple digital technologies has assumed a central role in social prescribing, and this situation seems likely to remain. With statutory and non-statutory services stretched to their limits, there is a danger of SPCs assuming new tasks without adequate training or support.

Once is rarely enough: can social prescribing facilitate adherence to non-clinical community and voluntary sector health services? Empirical evidence from Germany

BackgroundNon-clinical health interventions provided by the voluntary and community sector can improve patients’ health and well-being and reduce pressure on primary and secondary care, but only if patients adhere to them. This study provides novel insights into the impact of doctor referrals to such services, known as social prescribing, on patients’ adherence to them.MethodsUsing a negative binomial model, we analysed electronic visitor records from a community health advice and navigation service in Germany between January 2018 and December 2019 to determine whether social prescribing was associated with greater adherence to the service (measured in terms of return visits) compared to patients who self-referred. We also explored whether this effect differed according to patient characteristics.ResultsBased on 1734 observations, we found that social prescribing was significantly associated with a greater number of return visits compared to patient self-referrals (p < 0.05). For patients who visited the service because of psychological concerns, the effect of social prescribing was lower. For all other patient characteristics, the effect remained unchanged, suggesting relevance to all other patient groups.ConclusionsThe results of our study indicate that social prescribing may be an effective way to facilitate adherence to non-clinical community and voluntary sector health services. This knowledge is important for policy makers who are deciding whether to implement or expand upon social prescribing schemes.

Social Prescribing-An Effort to Apply a Common Knowledge: Impelling Forces and Challenges.

In recent times, social prescribing has been introduced in some countries, and substantially in the U.K. The objective of this scheme is to offer non-medical care mainly to primary care patients. Although the idea of this scheme is not new, its formalization is. Using a narrative synthesis of peer-reviewed and gray literature, this article discusses the social prescribing scheme, some of its compelling aspects and challenges in offering non-medical care, particularly regarding referrals being made from primary care settings. The social prescribing scheme has several impelling forces that include its potential to turn primary care to primary healthcare, tackle social determinants of health and social needs, improve wellbeing and physical health, offer person-centered care, strengthen preventive care, and bridge healthcare organizations with the third sector. This scheme also faces several challenges including service standards and boundaries, sustainability, availability of appropriate services, low engagement of clients and insufficient evidence. While this scheme lacks validated evidence, it is theoretically compelling. Given that the demand for non-medical care is growing in most societies and that the usefulness of non-medical care is gaining prominence, social prescribing is likely to continue to proliferate.

Social prescribing by students: the design and delivery of a social prescribing scheme by medical students in general practice

ABSTRACT Background Social prescribing is a means of enabling primary care professionals to refer people to a range of local, non-clinical services. Medical students at a large GP surgery in Corby designed, implemented and led a social prescribing service for the practice’s patients. Through the project students gained an understanding of social prescribing in an authentic setting. Methods During a 12 week GP placement students collated information on local organisations, charities and schemes into a social prescribing directory. A clinic was set up and a social prescribing protocol created to enable suitable patients to be referred to the service. Students educated staff and collected feedback on how the service should run. Patients referred to the service were seen by medical students, who identified suitable social prescribing opportunities. Follow up was arranged to encourage patient engagement with services. The student-led service has been successfully integrated with the work of the new PCN link worker. Outcome Medical students were able successfully identify social prescribing opportunities for patients referred to them in primary care. Experential learning enabled them to develop an understanding of social prescribing and its place in healthcare. Discussion Medical students successfully designed and delivered a social prescribing intervention providing authentic educational experience in real-life clinical practice. The introduction of a Primary Care Network link worker enhanced this work and student input has continued in the ongoing service. It is hoped the scheme will be rolled out across the Primary Care curriculum in Leicester.

Social prescribing in a time of Covid‐19 and social isolation…

Social prescribing in a time of Covid‐19 and social isolation…