Next steps for social prescribing in England

The conference will bring together key stakeholders and policymakers to discuss practicalities for implementation, including realising policy ambitions for social prescribing as a core component of neighbourhood health models. Areas for discussion include how social prescribing can be embedded in service design, and linked with primary care and community-based support, together with its role in addressing determinants of health and reducing pressure on the NHS.

Delegates will consider approaches needed to strengthen partnerships across the system, including models for effective collaboration with the voluntary, community, and social enterprise sector to support equitable delivery and sustainable community capacity.

Planned sessions will consider implications of recent NIHR evaluation findings for the future development of social prescribing, looking at approaches to widening access through primary care networks and link workers, alongside evidence on outcomes, including improved wellbeing and better management of conditions - as well as areas where further research is needed.

Attendees will assess strategies for building stronger, more robust evidence on long-term outcomes and population-level effects, with an expected focus on equity and impacts across deprived and vulnerable groups. Approaches to addressing gaps in standardised data recording, outcome measurement and evaluation frameworks will be discussed. Delegates will also assess priorities for the development of national data strategies, alongside metrics that can reliably demonstrate value, inform commissioning decisions, and provide clearer insights into reducing inequalities across diverse communities.

Further planned discussion will examine challenges of workforce capacity, management of increasingly complex caseloads, and delivering meaningful support at scale. Sessions will consider practical approaches to upskilling, retention and flexible working arrangements amid rising demand, alongside priorities for link workers within the expected refresh of the NHS Workforce Plan. Delegates will discuss opportunities for sustainable funding models, ring-fenced resources and career pathways, and addressing ongoing challenges such as burnout risks, inconsistent support structures, and reductions in link worker hours due to funding shifts toward GP roles, as well as supporting link workers to operate effectively within multidisciplinary teams and neighbourhood settings.

Overall areas for discussion include:

• 10 Year Health Plan: embedding in the design of the neighbourhood health service - integration with primary care and PCNs - embedding link worker roles in community-based models - strategies for seamless referral pathways and cross-sector collaboration - coordinating with ICSs on place-based partnerships
• scaling and access variations: addressing inequalities experienced by deprived communities and some ethnic minority groups - the role of VCSE and faith-based organisations in equitable delivery - co-production and inclusive design for people with complex needs - alignment with broader public health and prevention priorities - learning from international practice
• evidence-building and outcome measurement: developing standardised metrics and long-term data strategies - addressing gaps in long-term wellbeing impacts - evaluating effects on inequalities and social determinants - overcoming barriers in recording and evaluation
• workforce capacity and link worker support: workforce capacity and requirements for trained link workers amid rising complexity - upskilling, retention and flexible roles - balancing motivation with sustainable workloads and burnout prevention - managing high demand, prescriber shortages, and inappropriate referrals inflating caseloads
• funding and sustainability models: long-term resources amid 10 Year Health Plan ambitions - exploring cost-effectiveness and ring-fenced budgets - approaches to assessing value-for-money for sustainable investment - the future for link workers funded as part of the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme