Social prescribing
We work with customers across the NHS to transform vacant indoor and outdoor space into vibrant community hubs to be used by voluntary and community organisations connected to social prescribing networks to improve their local population's health and wellbeing.
What is social prescribing?
The NHS Long Term Plan includes a focus on helping people stay healthier for longer and supporting community activities that help improve people’s wellbeing; the fitter, healthier and more socially connected we are, the less likely it is we’ll need to access our local GP or other health professionals.
The NHS is therefore developing social prescribing networks across the country. Patients with multiple complex needs are referred by their GP to social prescribing services where their needs can be assessed and appropriate community services can be recommended such as adult learning, employment support or activity groups to improve confidence or reduce isolation.
Read our social prescribing case studies and take a look at our interactive map to find out more about each of our sites.
How can NHS Property Services help?
To help the NHS get the most from its estate and support delivery of the Long Term Plan, we work with NHS colleagues to identify and turn vacant space with no other immediate use into social prescribing hubs, and poor quality, unused outdoor space into green spaces including allotments, sensory and dementia gardens. Find out more about how you can transform green spaces. In doing this, we are helping patients socialise, learn new skills and hopefully improve their overall wellbeing.
We strive to work as one joined-up team, collaborating with our NHS colleagues and creating strong local partnerships. We involve local communities in the design and work closely with ICSs and Trusts to ensure the spaces really do help address local health and social needs.
Since launching our programme in 2019, we are proud to have opened 75 social prescribing sites across England. Find out more about each of them on our interactive map.
Do you have a suitable space?
If you have vacant space that you think would be suitable for social prescribing or would just like to discuss potential social prescribing sites for development within your area, please speak to your local NHSPS contact or contact our Customer Support Centre.
Take a look at two of our social prescribing hubs
In this video, see how social prescribing spaces at Whitton Clinic in Ipswich and Victoria Central Health Centre in Wallasey are used to improve community wellbeing.
Report: Creating spaces for community and patient wellbeing
Our research report, written by The Health Creation Alliance for NHS Property Services, aims to get a better understanding of what matters most to different communities, both in terms of the kind of spaces that support wellbeing and the processes involved in making them available.
The report draws on the experiences of ten communities, including those with poorer health outcomes, in accessing and using community spaces, highlighting eight big themes that the NHS should focus on.
How to engage with social prescribing hubs in your area
We've developed a new social prescribing guide to help you learn more about our social prescribing hubs and the services they offer. You can find local services offered by the hubs, including baby banks, nutrition support and mental health support services, as well as information about how to refer patients.
