Largest ever social prescribing study shows benefits for patients
A study, published in the British Journal of General Practice, has shown that the rollout of Social Prescribing Link Workers has led to improved patient outcomes and experiences.
Four million patient records were analysed for the study, making this the largest investigation into the national impact of the UK Government’s 2019 drive to increase the numbers of Social Prescribing Link Workers.
Charlotte Osborn-Forde, Chief Executive of the National Academy for Social Prescribing (NASP), says:
“This is an important and ground-breaking piece of research. There is already a wide range of evidence demonstrating that social prescribing is highly impactful and can save the NHS money, but this is the first-time research has been published showing statistically significant improvements for the whole population. It’s simple: the more Link Workers that are employed, the more likely it is that patients are able to manage their own health, and have a good experience with their GP.
This is because Link Workers get to know patients, supporting them step by step to access local services, tackling issues like housing, debt, food or fuel poverty, loneliness and unemployment – the issues that matter to people and can have a big impact on our health. This vital research further supports the case for the expansion of social prescribing in the NHS so that it is available to more patients who could benefit.”
You can read the study here: https://bjgp.org/content/early/2025/06/04/BJGP.2024.0542