Written Evidence Jan. 09 2024
Inquiry: Urban Green SpacesFound: UGS0079 - Urban Green Spaces National Academy for Social Prescribing Written Evidence
Asked by: Steve McCabe (Labour - Birmingham, Selly Oak)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she has made an assessment of the effectiveness of social prescribing; and whether her Department issues guidance on which models provide the most effective treatment.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
As a relatively new programme, the evidence base around nationally linked social prescribing is still evolving and robust quantitative evidence is limited. However, a growing body of work is suggestive of positive effects. The Department continues to work to understand the effectiveness of social prescribing to enhance physical and mental health and wellbeing, building on existing positive local evidence.
The Department of Health and Social Care works on the Green Social Prescribing programme established with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to increase the use and connection to the natural environment to tackle mental ill health. The Department of Health and Social Care funds the evaluation and research element including research studies into angling and outdoor swimming.
The Department funds via grant the National Academy for Social Prescribing (NASP). Their role is to support and promote social prescribing at a local and national level and develop the evidence base. A range of research into the effectiveness of social prescribing published by NASP is available at the following link:
https://socialprescribingacademy.org.uk/read-the-evidence/
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she has made an assessment of the economic impact of social prescribing.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Social prescribing is a whole population and universal approach that can work particularly well for those managing conditions, which a non-clinical intervention can support.
Whilst no quantitative evaluation has yet been carried out, the National Academy of Social Prescribing has recently released an evidence summary, which is available at the following link:
https://socialprescribingacademy.org.uk/read-the-evidence/the-economic-impact-of-social-prescribing/
The Department as part of its commitment with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs led Green Social Prescribing Programme commissioned and funded four research studies through the National Institute for Health and Care Research, which has initially shown positive impact on mental health outcomes.
We do not hold data on social prescribing for patients on clinical waiting lists.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to access whether social prescribing can assist people with (a) physical and (b) mental health optimisation for patients on clinical waiting lists.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Social prescribing is a whole population and universal approach that can work particularly well for those managing conditions, which a non-clinical intervention can support.
Whilst no quantitative evaluation has yet been carried out, the National Academy of Social Prescribing has recently released an evidence summary, which is available at the following link:
https://socialprescribingacademy.org.uk/read-the-evidence/the-economic-impact-of-social-prescribing/
The Department as part of its commitment with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs led Green Social Prescribing Programme commissioned and funded four research studies through the National Institute for Health and Care Research, which has initially shown positive impact on mental health outcomes.
We do not hold data on social prescribing for patients on clinical waiting lists.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment she has made of the effectiveness of social prescribing at reducing levels of loneliness and social isolation.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department recognises the value of social prescribing in tackling loneliness. Since 2018, the Government and its partners have invested over £80 million in tackling loneliness.
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport published a report on 4 September 2023, Exploring interventions to tackle loneliness, summarising what interventions work to tackle loneliness and a report exploring the knowledge of professionals working to evaluate loneliness interventions. In this report, it was concluded that more evaluations are needed to determine the effect social prescribing has on loneliness.
Asked by: Steve McCabe (Labour - Birmingham, Selly Oak)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the answer of 14 March 2024 to Question 17495 on Mental Health Services: Veterans, if her Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing social prescribing pilots in garrison towns.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
NHS England commissioned three pilot sites, in Cornwall, Durham, and Dorset, to explore and evaluate the merits of social prescribing in the Armed Forces Community. The outcome of the evaluation is planned for Autumn 2024, and the findings will inform a toolkit which can be used by other social prescribing teams. The evaluation will also inform whether there should be plans for further pilots, including in garrison towns.
Asked by: Preet Kaur Gill (Labour (Co-op) - Birmingham, Edgbaston)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many social prescribing link workers are working within local communities as of 27 November 2023.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
As of September 2023, there were 3,599 full-time equivalent social prescribing link workers employed by primary care networks, working within local communities.
There are similar roles commissioned locally and delivered through local authorities and/or the voluntary, community, faith and social enterprise sector. There is not a central measure in place for this workforce.
The Major Condition’s Strategy case for change and strategic framework, published in August, set out the need to ensure the health and care system can take a holistic approach to mental and physical health, supporting people to live well, maximising opportunities for recovery and rehabilitation where possible, and supporting people to manage their own health both through prevention and ongoing management. As part of this, it identified significant possibilities in developing our approach to social prescribing, and we will be exploring this further as part of the development of the final Major Conditions Strategy.
Asked by: Preet Kaur Gill (Labour (Co-op) - Birmingham, Edgbaston)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of building social prescribing into long term condition pathways.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
As of September 2023, there were 3,599 full-time equivalent social prescribing link workers employed by primary care networks, working within local communities.
There are similar roles commissioned locally and delivered through local authorities and/or the voluntary, community, faith and social enterprise sector. There is not a central measure in place for this workforce.
The Major Condition’s Strategy case for change and strategic framework, published in August, set out the need to ensure the health and care system can take a holistic approach to mental and physical health, supporting people to live well, maximising opportunities for recovery and rehabilitation where possible, and supporting people to manage their own health both through prevention and ongoing management. As part of this, it identified significant possibilities in developing our approach to social prescribing, and we will be exploring this further as part of the development of the final Major Conditions Strategy.
Asked by: Preet Kaur Gill (Labour (Co-op) - Birmingham, Edgbaston)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make it her policy to maintain the requirement for every primary care network to provide a social prescribing service in the next GP contract and Primary Care Network Direct Enhanced Service specification.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
As per the commitment set out in the Changes to the GP Contract in 2023/24, we have engaged the profession, patients, integrated care systems, and other key stakeholders over the summer via an Expert Advisory Group, to inform the future general practitioner contract. Changes to the 2024/25 contract are subject to consultation with the British Medical Association General Practitioners Committee.
To meet the ambitions for social prescribing as set out in the NHS Long Term Plan we are continuing to roll out social prescribing link workers across the National Health Service and have exceeded the first target of 1,000 link workers by March 2021. As of September 2023, there were 3,599 full-time equivalent link workers in place.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make tackling loneliness and social isolation a public health priority.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
We recognise that loneliness and social isolation can affect many people and impact on their health and wellbeing. In October 2018 the Department of Culture, Media and Sport published the world’s first ever cross-government strategy to tackle loneliness ‘A connected society: a strategy for tackling loneliness’.
Social prescribing is a key component of the National Health Service’s Universal Personalised Care and can work well for those who are lonely or socially isolated. Social Prescribing link workers take a holistic approach to people’s health and wellbeing. They connect people to community groups and statutory services for practical and emotional support. Social prescribing can work well for those who are socially isolated. Social prescribing activities are commissioned locally, utilising community assets often in the Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise sector.