Conference on social prescribing and inequalities critical conversations and practical approaches

“There is a growing evidence base that social prescribing can be better for patients than medicine. Of course, there will also be medicine prescribed – and rightly so – but I want to see the balance shifted in favour of social prescribing.”

(The RT Hon Matt Hancock MP, Secretary of State for Health & Social Care, 2018)

Social prescribing is now firmly on the national agenda. From the government’s commitment to support the development of social prescribing services in every Primary Care Network to combat loneliness (DCMS, 2018), to the NHS acknowledging the key role social prescribing offers within the Personalised Care agenda (NHS England, 2019), it is clear that social prescribing is here to stay and will only continue to grow.

However, key challenges – as well as concerns – remain for practitioners and commissioners of social prescribing services. These challenges and concerns include:

• Tackling inequalities – the UK is a highly unequal society – how can social prescribing address this and make a genuine difference to those most in need?
• Voluntary sector & communities – the social fabric of the UK has been stretched, in many places to breaking point. Given that the social prescribing ecosystem depends on this social fabric, how can we ensure that communities and the organisations that support them, many of which are in the voluntary sector, are given sufficient resources to meet needs?
• Integrated pathways – how can GPs, link workers, other health care professionals and frontline services work together to ensure people are given all the support they need?

The conference has been designed to provide ultra-practical strategies and real-life examples to support and manage the continued growth of social prescribing. It will explore how cross-sector relationships – e.g. NHS, statutory services, voluntary sector organisations and groups – can work to support people and communities, and develop innovative solutions to the social problems we face.

Key topics to be explored at the conference include:

• tackling health and social problems and inequalities
• funding sustainable social prescribing services and ecosystems
• capturing and sharing the value of social prescribing
• running and designing social prescribing services for maximum access and effect

Join us for ‘Social Prescribing and inequalities: critical conversations and practical approaches’, where people with a range of expertise and experience will share ideas, identify challenges, and explore innovative and practical approaches. We envisage a highly engaging and informative day, in which we invite all participants to help shape the social prescribing agenda and maximise its value for people and communities.