Social Prescribing Policy, Research and Practice : Transforming Systems and Communities for Improved Health and Wellbeing

This contributed volume uniquely enhances our knowledge and understanding of social prescribing internationally. It fills a gap in the literature by engaging critically with the concept of social prescribing across different countries, to contribute to more general lessons that can be used in a variety of contexts. The book discusses the strengths and weaknesses in the design, implementation, evaluation, policy, and practice of social prescribing. Each chapter has a framework structured around three key themes: the key policies underpinning social prescribing, the evaluation and research evidence base, and practice including the design and implementation of social prescribing. Country-based chapters focus on the development of social prescribing and include case studies of different social prescribing models in England, Wales, Portugal, Germany, Republic of Ireland, Canada and Singapore. Three chapters are dedicated to England given the wide-ranging contribution of this country to the development of social prescribing. Among the topics covered: An international perspective on social prescribing: introduction The role of social prescribing in addressing health inequalities Implementing social prescribing schemes Conclusion: The present and future of social prescribing Social Prescribing Policy, Research and Practice: Transforming Systems and Communities for Improved Health and Wellbeing encapsulates the wide-ranging evidence on social prescribing in a single volume. The book should appeal to a broad and diverse audience including researchers interested in the evaluation and effective design and implementation of social prescribing and community health intervention more generally; researchers and commissioners of public health interventions; healthcare professionals involved in the development of health interventions in primary, secondary and tertiary care; the local health economy which includes local government departments (e.g., public health, housing, employment, social services); professionals working in the Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) sector; policy makers; and university students (including medical students). Foreword Preface Contents List of Figures List of Tables About the Editor Contributors Abbreviations Chapter 1: An International Perspective on Social Prescribing: Introduction 1.1 Setting the Scene 1.2 The Rationales for Social Prescribing 1.2.1 Ageing Population 1.2.2 Increasing Pressure on Primary Care 1.2.3 Prevention and Integration Between Health and Social Support 1.2.4 Social and Health Inequalities 1.2.5 Building Stronger Communities 1.3 The Structure of This Book 1.4 Conclusion References Chapter 2: Social Prescribing in England 2.1 Introduction 2.2 ‘Pre-modern’ Social Prescribing and Family Doctoring 2.2.1 Community-Based Approaches to Health 2.2.2 Links to Formal Health Services 2.2.3 Some Examples 2.3 Personalised Care in England 2.3.1 The Move Towards Personalised Care 2.3.2 Formalisation into Policy and Practice 2.3.3 Integration with Community Approaches 2.3.4 Some Examples 2.4 Social Prescribing and the Social ‘Movement’ 2.4.1 The Rise of a Social Movement 2.5 Investments in Social Prescribing 2.5.1 The Long-Term Plan and Universal Personalised Care 2.6 The Link Worker Roll-Out in England 2.7 Emerging National Bodies 2.7.1 The National Academy for Social Prescribing (NASP) 2.7.2 National Association of Link Workers (NALW) 2.7.3 All Party Parliamentary Groups (APPGs) 2.7.4 The Green Social Prescribing Pilot 2.7.5 NASP Evidence Summaries 2.7.6 Other Research and Pipeline Studies 2.8 The Future: Some Thoughts References Chapter 3: The Role of Social Prescribing in Addressing Health Inequalities 3.1 Introduction: The Role of Social Prescribing in Addressing Health Inequalities 3.1.1 What Do We Mean by Health Inequalities? 3.1.2 An International Priority 3.1.3 The Marmot Review 3.1.4 NHS Policies 3.2 What Are the Assumptions Around How Social Prescribing Can Address Health Inequalities? 3.3 What Are the Challenges for Social Prescribing in Terms of Addressing Health Inequalities? 3.3.1 Access to Social Prescribing and Referral Routes 3.3.2 Link Worker Role and Engagement in Social Prescribing 3.3.3 An Individualised Focus/Availability of Personal Resources 3.3.4 Availability of Local Resources 3.3.5 Tackling Structural Inequalities 3.4 What Does the Evidence Say About Social Prescribing and Health Inequalities? 3.4.1 Approaches to Address Specific Health Inequalities 3.4.2 Evidence on Who Accesses Social Prescribing 3.5 What Needs to Happen to Evidence the Impact of Social Prescribing on Health Inequalities? 3.6 Concluding Thoughts References Chapter 4: Implementing Social Prescribing Schemes: Learning from Practice 4.1 Introduction 4.2 The Key Ingredients for Implementing Social Prescribing 4.3 “Just Tell Me What I Need to Do!” 4.4 What Is Already Happening and What the Local Population Needs 4.5 Who Are Your Stakeholders and Are They Bought-In? 4.6 Why Is It So Important for Stakeholders to Be Actively Engaged with Social Prescribing Implementation? 4.7 Equity of Voice 4.8 Exploring the Relational Dimension and Emotional Buy-In 4.9 Monitoring and Evaluation of Social Prescribing 4.9.1 What to Monitor 4.9.2 What Will You Do with the Data You Collect? 4.9.3 What Outcomes Will You Measure? 4.9.4 What Training Do People Need to Collect Data? 4.9.5 Barriers and Enablers of Social Prescribing 4.10 Conclusion References Chapter 5: Social Prescribing in Wales 5.1 Introduction 5.2 The Social Prescribing Policy Landscape in Wales 5.3 Developing the Evidence Base in Wales Using a Translational Model 5.3.1 Developing a Glossary of Terms for Social Prescribing in Wales (and Beyond) 5.3.1.1 Development of Terms 5.3.1.2 Using the Glossary of Terms 5.4 Understanding Evaluation and Monitoring in Wales 5.4.1 Rationale for ‘Standardising’ Evaluation and Monitoring: What Is It and How Does It Fit? 5.4.2 Why Use SROI and the Green Book Approach? 5.4.3 Developing a Local Monitoring Framework 5.5 Conclusions References Chapter 6: Social Prescribing in the Portuguese Context: Challenges and Strategies to Implement and Evaluate a Complex Intervention 6.1 Current Challenges to Health Systems in Portugal and the Emergence of Social Prescribing 6.2 Social Prescribing Implementation in Portugal 6.3 Evaluating the SP Implementation Process and Impact of the Intervention in the Portuguese Context 6.3.1 Insights from the Implementation Process of SP in Lisbon 6.3.2 Lessons Learned from the Evaluation of SP in Lisbon 6.4 Final Considerations References Chapter 7: Challenges and Opportunities for Social Prescribing in Germany: Policy and Methodological Perspectives 7.1 Introduction 7.2 Policy 7.2.1 Solidarity 7.2.2 Subsidiarity 7.2.3 Corporatism 7.3 Research and Evaluation 7.4 Alternative Approaches and Conclusion References Chapter 8: Social Prescribing in Ireland: From Ad Hoc to Universal Provision 8.1 Introduction 8.2 The Social Prescribing Policy Context in Ireland 8.3 The Research Evidence on Social Prescribing in Ireland 8.3.1 A Rural Pioneering Social Prescribing Project: The Donegal Story 8.4 A Hospital-Based Social Prescribing Project: The Local Asset Mapping Project (LAMP) 8.5 Conclusion References Chapter 9: Social Prescribing in Canada: Coproduction with Communities 9.1 Introduction 9.2 Social Prescribing in Canada: A Pathway to Health Equity? 9.3 Case Example: Constance’s Story 9.4 Policy and Systems Context: Fragmentation and Colonial Legacies 9.5 Implementation: Challenges and Opportunities 9.5.1 The Canadian Institute for Social Prescribing: Bridging Gaps, Building Networks 9.6 Research 9.7 Future Outlook 9.8 Key Resources on Social Prescribing in Canada References Chapter 10: Social Prescribing in Singapore: Policy, Research, and Practice 10.1 Introduction 10.2 Policy 10.2.1 Productivism and Self-Reliance 10.2.2 Solidarity and the Social Safety Net 10.2.3 Social Prescribing in the Context of Singapore’s Health and Social Care System 10.3 Research 10.4 Practice 10.5 Conclusion References Chapter 11: Conclusion: The Present and Future of Social Prescribing 11.1 Introduction 11.2 The Development of Social Prescribing Policy Across Countries 11.2.1 Healthcare Infrastructure and Social Prescribing 11.2.2 The Guiding Principles of Social Prescribing 11.2.2.1 Universality, Equity, and Accessibility 11.2.2.2 Individual Self-Determination 11.2.2.3 Community-Centred Approaches 11.2.2.4 Different Levels and Types of Integration 11.3 Research Across Countries 11.3.1 The State of Research on Social Prescribing Across the Countries in the Book 11.3.2 Monitoring and Evaluation 11.3.3 Health Inequalities and Social Prescribing 11.3.4 Future Research 11.4 The Practical Implementation of Social Prescribing 11.4.1 Similarities and Differences Between Social Prescribing Models Across Countries 11.4.1.1 Referring Sources 11.4.1.2 Link Workers 11.4.1.3 Voluntary, Community, Faith, and Social Enterprise Sector 11.4.1.4 Funding Models for Social Prescribing 11.5 Final Remarks References Index