Evidence on the effectiveness of social prescribing has tended to focus on the impact it has for people in community settings. For example, a recent analysis of a government-backed project to prescribe activities in nature to tackle mental ill health found that it helped more than 8,000 people to take part in activities including nature walks, community gardening, tree planting and wild swimming. The results showed that after taking part in the schemes, people’s feelings of happiness and of life being worthwhile jumped to near national averages, while levels of anxiety fell significantly.
However, few projects have assessed the role social prescribing can play in supporting people receiving care in health settings. One pilot scheme, run at the Royal London Hospital in north east London, aimed to address that by using social prescribing to support young people with long-term health conditions in hospital.
Register Now to Continue Reading
Thank you for visiting Children & Young People Now and making use of our archive of more than 60,000 expert features, topics hubs, case studies and policy updates. Why not register today and enjoy the following great benefits:
What's Included
-
Free access to 4 subscriber-only articles per month
-
Email newsletter providing advice and guidance across the sector
Already have an account? Sign in here
