Australian and UK perspectives on social prescribing implementation research: theory, measurement, resourcing and discovery to ensure health equity

Dingle, GA, Aggar, C, Arslanovski, N, Astell-Burt, T, Baker, JR, Baxter, R, Bissett, M, Bowe, M, Brymer, E, Burton, A, Byng, R, Elston, J, Fancourt, D, Feng, X, Fino, E, Freak-Poli, R, Harkin, L ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0511-5934, Hayes, D, Hazeldine, E, Kellezi, B ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4825-3624, Mcnamara, N ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3123-3678, Sharman, L, Stevenson, C ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2438-6425, Wakefield, J ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9155-9683, Warran, K, Wells, L, Wright, L, Zurynski, Y and Husk, K, 2025. Australian and UK perspectives on social prescribing implementation research: theory, measurement, resourcing and discovery to ensure health equity. Health and Social Care in the Community. ISSN 0966-0410

Preview

Text 2385073_Wakefield.pdf - Published version Download (480kB) | Preview

Abstract

There has been a rapid increase in the delivery of social prescribing globally in recent years. However, a lack of theoretical framework, the diversity of social prescribing interventions and outcome measures, a lack of ongoing resources to provide services equitably and a lack of coordinated research agenda make it challenging for practitioners to know how best to put social prescribing into practice. Tis paper summarises perspectives from 29 UK and Australian authors and sets a course for future social prescribing implementation in four key areas: theory, measurement, resourcing and equity, and discovery (big questions on the research agenda). Eight recommendations are made: (1) multilevel or systems theory frameworks should inform programme design and implementation; (2) methods should be developed in collaboration with participants and service providers; (3) a coreset of outcome measures should be developed and complemented by framework-specifc measures; (4) factors at multiple levels should be included to ensure a comprehensive understanding of the experience and value of social prescribing; (5) funding models should ensure that community sector organisations providing the programmes and services are well supported; (6) social prescribing stakeholders could advocate for equitable funding through dialogue and knowledge translation; (7) future research could focus on understanding barriers and enablers of engagement in social prescribing in marginalised populations; and (8)future research should focus on link workers’ and community workers’ experiences of social prescribing. Emphasising health equity and asset-based community development, our perspective positions social prescribing not merely as a response to individual health needs but as a catalyst for a broader societal transformation

Item Type:	Journal article
Description:	Published in Advancing Understanding of Social Prescribing special issue.
Publication Title:	Health and Social Care in the Community
Creators:	Dingle, G.A., Aggar, C., Arslanovski, N., Astell-Burt, T., Baker, J.R., Baxter, R., Bissett, M., Bowe, M., Brymer, E., Burton, A., Byng, R., Elston, J., Fancourt, D., Feng, X., Fino, E., Freak-Poli, R., Harkin, L., Hayes, D., Hazeldine, E., Kellezi, B., Mcnamara, N., Sharman, L., Stevenson, C., Wakefield, J., Warran, K., Wells, L., Wright, L., Zurynski, Y. and Husk, K.
Publisher:	Wiley
Date:	22 February 2025
ISSN:	0966-0410
Identifiers:	Number Type 10.1155/hsc/2650302 DOI 2385073 Other
Rights:	Copyright © 2025 Genevieve A. Dingle et al. Health & Social Care in the Community published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Divisions:	Schools > School of Social Sciences
Record created by:	Laura Borcherds
Date Added:	25 Feb 2025 10:06
Last Modified:	25 Feb 2025 10:06
URI:	https://irep.ntu.ac.uk/id/eprint/53132

Actions (login required)

Edit View

Statistics

Views

Downloads