The challenge
Many GP visits stem from loneliness, debt or housing problems that medicine cannot fix.
The case
NHS England's 2019 Long Term Plan made social prescribing a core part of primary care. It funded link workers in primary care networks to connect patients with community activities, advice and support, aiming for 1,000 link workers by 2020/21 and at least 900,000 people referred by 2023/24. A 2017 systematic review found 15 UK evaluations, mostly small and all at high risk of bias. A 2025 study of GP records estimated 1.3 million patients were referred in 2023 alone, far above the target, and the share from more deprived areas rose from 23% to 42% between 2017 and 2023. Earlier analysis found the link worker target was missed and the neediest areas had the fewest link workers.
Why the results were mixed
Scaling an appealing idea nationally before testing it left the NHS unable to say whether it works; roll-outs like this should build in comparison groups from the start.
Sources
- Bickerdike, L., et al. (2017). Social prescribing: less rhetoric and more reality. A systematic review of the evidence. BMJ Open.
- NHS England. Social prescribing.
- Lancet Public Health (2025). Analysis of the roll-out of social prescribing link workers in England (UCL Discovery).
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