Last Updated on July 24, 2018

The Government has announced that social prescribing schemes in England will receive £4.5m to allow GPs to refer more patients to social activities and other types of support.

The money will be used to support programmes to refer patients to local voluntary and community services such as walking clubs, gardening or arts activities.

The practice, known as ‘social prescribing’, aims to improve patients’ quality of life, health and wellbeing by recognising that health is affected by a range of social, economic and environmental factors.

Evidence shows that this approach can reduce demand on NHS services; a UK study found that after 3 to 4 months, 80% of patients referred to a social prescribing scheme had reduced their use of A&E, outpatient appointments and inpatient admissions.

A total of 23 social prescribing projects in England will receive a share of the funding to extend existing social prescribing schemes or establish new ones.

The schemes include a focus on:

• Reaching out to people who may be socially isolated, for example because of mental health issues or learning difficulties.
• Providing support for those impacted by health inequalities, such as transgender people or people from black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) backgrounds.
• Helping people with particularly complex needs who regularly access health services.

The funding will come from the Health and Wellbeing Fund, part of a programme of government investment in the voluntary sector. The projects will be fully-funded through the scheme in their first year. Additional joint funding from local commissioners will be agreed for the subsequent 2 years.

Care Minister Caroline Dinenage said, 'The voluntary and community sector has such a vital role to play in working with our health system to provide the kind of support that you can’t receive at your local GP surgery or hospital.

This new funding will mean that many more people receive support that looks at their needs holistically, enabling them to live happier, more independent lives. I look forward to seeing these projects put their plans into action and provide support to hundreds of thousands more people.'