In 2019, the UK government announced a radical, major investment in "social prescribing" as part of its NHS Long Term Plan. A type of personalised care, social prescribing connects individuals with non-clinical supports and services within the community to address diverse health and social needs. Since, an estimated 3 million people in the UK have received social prescribing and the scheme has spread to over 40 countries. But there has been much controversy about whether social prescribing can genuinely address health needs or instead presents an unregulated service potentially even exacerbating health inequalities. This talk will consider the findings to date, including the substantial body of clinical trials and epidemiological analyses led by UCL's Social Biobehavioural Research Group.
Find out more about Prof. Daisy Fancourt here